Tropical Storm Barry: The force of the hurricane is likely when the storm hits the ground; The Mississippi River upgraded



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According to the National Weather Service, tropical storm Barry is expected to reach hurricane strength before landing early Saturday morning.

On Saturday, at 2 am ET, the storm was moving west-northwest at a speed of 3 miles to the hour as Louisiana approached, with maximum winds sustained at 65 mph, the meteorological service. The storm was about 70 miles south of Morgan City, La.

Meanwhile, forecasters were downgrading an anticipated increase for the Mississippi River. They announced on Friday night that the river would rise about 2 feet from the initial forecast and would likely not break under its dikes.

The NWS said the river is expected to reach 17.1 feet on Monday in New Orleans. The levees protecting the city range from about 20 to 25 feet tall. Forecasters had already thought the river would take a ridge Saturday about 19 feet from New Orleans.

TROPICAL STORM BARRY PROMOTES STORM OVERVOLTAGE, WARNINGS AGAINST FLOODING: WHY DOES NEW ORLEANNE HAVE AN INCREASED RISK?

Barry's torrential rains should test New Orleans post-Katrina flood defenses. The storm is expected to dump 10 to 20 inches of rain over New Orleans until Sunday. Residents were not invited to evacuate. Instead, officials said they stay indoors, have three days of supply, and make sure the neighborhood's flood drains remain clear to allow water to flow.

Hurricane Katrina caused catastrophic floods in New Orleans in 2005 and reportedly caused more than 1,800 deaths in Louisiana and in other states, according to some estimates.

After Katrina, the Army Corps of Engineers has put in place a multibillion-dollar hurricane protection system that is not complete. The work included repairing and upgrading some 350 miles of dikes and more than 70 pumping stations used to remove floodwaters.

President Trump has already declared the state of emergency in Louisiana, allowing relief efforts by the federal government. In addition, about 10,000 people from Plaquemines Parish, at the extreme southeastern tip of Louisiana, were evacuated on Thursday.

New Orleans is particularly vulnerable to flooding because of its low altitude. Only about half of the city is above sea level – a drop from what was once 100%, according to the Atlantic, which cites human activity as the main reason for the decline.

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Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards warned that the impact of the storm, associated with the already-high Mississippi River – swollen by heavy rains and snowmelt upstream this spring – could be a combination dangerous.

"Louisiana can flood three ways: storm surge, high rivers and rain," Edwards said. "We are going to have all three."

Paulina Dedaj, Madeline Farber and Fox News Associated Press contributed to this report.

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