Rain-packed Tropical Storm Lee forms off Louisiana

Tropical Storm Lee formed in the waters off Louisiana today, threatening a deluge along much of the Gulf Coast over the Labor Day weekend, with up to 20 inches of rain expected in some spots. Lee could unleash “efficient and torrential tropical rains” for the next several days, the National Weather Service says. Tropical storm warnings were put in effect from Mississippi to Texas, including New Orleans, and flash flood warnings extended along the Alabama coast into the Florida Panhandle. The National Hurricane Center says the system will dump 10 to 15 inches of rain over southern areas of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama through Sunday and as much as 20 inches in some spots. The storm already has cut off nearly half the normal oil production from the Gulf of Mexico’s U.S. waters. The federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement said today that 169 of the 617 manned production platforms in the gulf have been evacuated, along with 16 of the 62 drilling rigs now operating in the gulf. The evacuations have resulted in the shut-off of 47.6% of the gulf’s daily normal oil production and 33% of the normal daily natural gas production. The National Hurricane Center said at 1 p.m. the center of Lee was about 200 miles southeast of Cameron and moving northwest at just 2 mph. Its center is expected to make landfall in Louisiana over the weekend. For more information, click here here for the NWS New Orleans-Baton Rouge office website and here for the National Hurricane Center website.