Rain floods streets, knocks out power in southern Louisiana

As much as six inches of rain fell on parts of southern Louisiana on Monday night and this morning. More than 30 roads and intersections in Ascension Parish were closed as of 12:30 p.m., most on the east side of the Mississippi River. Wind damage from straight-line winds or a possible tornado was reported in Jefferson Parish near Lake Pontchartrain early this morning, according to the National Weather Service. No injuries were reported. In New Orleans, where more than four inches of rain were reported in spots, flooded traffic slowed morning commutes for many motorists. One school in New Orleans closed because of a power outage, one of numerous scattered outages reported in the region. New Iberia reported more than six inches of rain over 24-hours, the National Weather Service said this morning. Iberia Parish Chief Administrative Officer Sally Angers said there were also reports of homes flooding in low-lying areas, although the number of affected homes wasn’t available. Meanwhile, the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla., has issued a tornado watch for parts of northern and central Louisiana, central and southern Mississippi and southeast Arkansas until 9 p.m. No parishes in the Capital Region are included in the watch.