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Friday, September 2, 2011

Tropical Storm Lee bashing New Orleans- Observations (Post 1 of 2)

TS Lee continues to bash New Orleans tonight, as a cluster of heavy rain moves over the region. We have a suite of observational products for you, not any forecasts- that will be in the following post.
This is a partial view of Lee's wind. Keep in mind that winds are stronger in the center than what is shown. Anyhow, winds on the western side of Lee aren't incredibly significant, with maximum speeds about 25-35 knots close to the center, but widespread 10-20 knot winds way out west. On the southern region, there is a large region of 35 knots with dots of 40 knot winds. The east region of Lee wasn't scanned well by this observation unit, but it looks like there are significant winds on the east flank as well.
We are seeing a large blob of what appears to be intense convection moving over south Louisiana. At this rate, New Orleans could be dealing with a catastrophic flooding event. This will certainly be something to closely watch.
Finally, water vapor imagery is showing that convection intercepting Louisiana as a huge mass of water vapor, indicating potentially torrential rainfall. Combined with winds climbing above 20 mph (sustained winds), visibility will be extremely limited, so only travel if it is essential.

Click here for post 2 out of 2: The Forecast

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