Barry strengthens to a hurricane as it heads toward the Louisiana coast

Barry strengthens to Category 1 hurricane as it moves onto Louisiana coast, NWS says.

Barry strengthened from a tropical storm to a category 1 hurricane Saturday morning with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph as it bears down on the Louisiana coast.

The slow-moving storm in the Gulf of Mexico was expected to make landfall during the day, bringing strong winds and heavy rain that forecasters predict could cause flooding over a wide region going into next week. Barry"poses a significant flooding threat" due to how slowly it is moving, the National Weather Service said.

Baton Rouge northwest of New Orleans could experience extreme flooding with the possibility that the Comite River will crest above a record set in floods in 2016 that caused between $10 billion to $15 billion in damage and left 13 people dead.Even before Barry makes landfall, it was making itself felt in some parts of southern Louisiana. Flights in and out of the state were being canceled Saturday morning due to the impending storm.

On Saturday morning, a rescue operation was underway on Isle de Jean Charles, a remote island in Terrebonne Parish where at least a dozen people were stranded due to rising floodwaters, according to NBC affiliateThe U.S. Coast Guard had been called to assist with the rescue after trees fell on a highway cutting people off from the island, the outlet reported.

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