Barry a hurricane; Long day of rain expected

Published 10:31 am Saturday, July 13, 2019

Tropical Storm Barry is now officially Hurricane Barry as it prepares to move inland.

The National Hurricane Center’s 10 a.m. update said the storm now has sustained winds of 75 mph. It is currently 50 miles west of Morgan City and 40 miles south of Lafayette. Its speed has increased to 6 mph, moving northwest at 310 degrees.

The storm’s central pressure also rose to 993 millibars. The storm is expected to lose strength as it moves inland.

The storm is expected to move slowly across the area. The track at 10 a.m. was similar to that at 7 a.m., with the storm heading west of Lafayette. The current timeline shows the storm just to the northwest of Lafayette at 7 p.m. Saturday, with rains from its passage continuing into Sunday.

Hurricane-force winds extend 45 miles from the storm center, with tropical-storm-force winds outward up to 175 miles, but wind shear on the northern and western quadrants have given the storm an asymmetrical shape, with most of the convection driving the system in the southern and eastern areas. A reporting station near Houma recently reported sustained winds of 53 mph.

In New Iberia, a drizzling rain continues with increasing winds. Overnight sustained winds reached 23 mph, with gusts up to 33 mph. Several trees have been reported down, including one that fell on a mobile home overnight in Jeanerette and one on Lombard Street in New Iberia near Lasalle Street.

A search and rescue command post has been established in the parking lot of the Lowes location on Highway 14 near U.S. Highway. Also, a reception station for people displaced as water rises is in operation at the Cyr Saint Center in City Park. Because the Teche Area is in the direct path of the storm, coupled with the propensity for flooding, shelters are not being opened in Iberia Parish. Instead, anyone needing help as a result of the storm will be transported north to a mega-shelter in Alexandria if shelter is required.

Curfews will be in effect from 10 p.m. until 6 a.m. Saturday night within the city limits of New Iberia, Jeanerette and Delcambre, as well as in St. Mary and St. Martin parishes.

According to the narrative of the forecast, Barry should begin a turn toward the north-northwest Saturday night, with a turn to the north on Sunday. 

The advisory still shows Barry bringing a dangerous storm surge, heavy rains, and wind conditions across the north-central Gulf coast. The current track of the storm shows it dropping life-threatening rainfall of 15 to 20 inches — with locally higher amounts possible — over St. Mary, Iberia, and lower St. Martin parishes as it moves ashore. The latest advice predicts people will be trapped in homes in those areas due to flooding from the rains expected to drench the region during the slow-moving storm.

A storm surge of more than 3 feet is expected in coastal sections of Vermilion, Iberia, and St. Mary parishes, including Intracoastal City, Delcambre, Cypremort Point, and Burns Point. 

The current forecast said damaging winds will cause scattered to numerous power outages, blow down trees, and damage homes and businesses across south central Louisiana and parts of central Louisiana.

Isolated tornadoes are possible along the path of this storm in south central and central Louisiana.

The next partial National Hurricane Center update is expected at 1 p.m., with a full update at 4 p.m.