A Hurricane Might Hit Louisiana This Weekend — Here's What to Know If You’re Traveling

Storm system Barry began impacting the deep south on Thursday morning, with heavy rains in Louisiana. The state is predicted to receive up to 20 inches of rain in the coming days.

For now, the National Weather Service [NWS] is calling it “Potential Tropical Cyclone Two.” It is expected to officially become a tropical storm by Thursday evening, and potentially develop into Hurricane Barry by Saturday, when it makes landfall.

A hurricane watch is in effect for the Louisiana Coast. More than 4 million people are under flash flood watch from south-central Louisiana to the western Florida panhandle.

“This is going to be a Louisiana event with coastal flooding and heavy rainfall potentially impacting every part of the state,” Gov. John Bel Edwards said, declaring a state of emergency. “No one should take this storm lightly. As we know all too well in Louisiana, low intensity does not necessarily mean low impact.”

NEW: NOAA's GOES16 shows a "sandwich loop" -- a combination of visible and infrared imagery -- of Potential Tropical Cyclone this morning. predicts it will become a Tropical Depression later today.

Courtesy of NOAA

The storm is relatively slow-moving, which means it could linger with relentless rain in Louisiana.

Already, New Orleans received 10 inches of rain on Wednesday, with widespread street flooding.

Telemachus Street in New Orleans is flooded after flash floods struck the area early on July 10, 2019

SETH HERALD/Getty Images

Travelers heading to the southeast this weekend should check with their airlines regarding flight status.

JetBlue will waive change fees for flights to and from Louisiana booked through Saturday, July 13. Travel must be rebooked by July 20.

Alaska Airlines is waiving change fees for flights booked for July 11 and 12 to or from Houston and New Orleans. New travel must be rebooked before July 16.

United passengers with travel booked to the southeast from July 11 through 14 can rebook for flights through July 21. The waiver affects flights to and from Alexandria, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Monroe, New Orleans and Shreveport, Louisiana; Mobile, Alabama; Jackson and Gulfport, Mississippi; and Ft. Walton Beach, Panama City and Pensacola Florida.

The First Potential Hurricane of 2019 Is Developing — Here’s What You Need to Know (Video)

Hurricane season is here, and the second named storm system of the year is on a path to Louisiana's coast. Widespread flooding has already been reported in New Orleans.

NOAA

The National Hurricane Center predicts that Tropical Storm Barry will develop into a hurricane on Saturday, The Washington Post reports. Ahead of that, a tropical storm watch and a storm surge watch have been issued for the coast.

11 AM EDT July 10: Here are the Key Messages for Potential Tropical Cyclone #Two. A tropical storm and storm surge watch has been issued for a portion of the Louisiana coast. For more see https://t.co/tW4KeFW0gB and https://t.co/SiZo8ohZMN pic.twitter.com/RgljWGk3Zy

— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) July 10, 2019

While it’s too early to know how intense the system could get or exactly where it will strike, residents of Louisiana and northeast Texas should be prepared for up to 18 inches of rain, and the potential storm surges that accompany a tropical system.

Even those areas not directly impacted, including areas of Alabama and Florida, as well as more inland areas of Louisiana and Texas, should be prepared for several inches of rain.

Rain and flooding in the affected areas can be expected through the weekend.

Jimmy Buffett Goes 'Surfing in a Hurricane' in Most Jimmy Buffett Move Ever

GC Images

If there’s one person you shouldn’t follow directions from during a storm, it’s musician Jimmy Buffett.

Yes, he can get you to Margaritaville, he can even play you a nice little tune while you’re there, but he’s a terrible influence when it comes to preparing for a hurricane.

The proof? A new photo he posted showing himself out for a surf session at Folly Beach in South Carolina just before Hurricane Florence hit.

In the caption of the post, Buffett shared a few of his own song lyrics, writing, “I ain't afraid of dying, I got no need to explain, I feel like going surfing in a hurricane.”

A catchy song, but again, a very bad idea.

Thankfully, Buffett added some sense to his post, writing: “On a serious note - respect mother nature, please be safe and listen to your local authorities.”

Buffett was far from alone in the surf lineup. As Daily Mail noted, dozens of others took to the water at the popular surfing location to catch a few waves before the brunt of the storm rolled into shore.

“It’s an adrenaline rush,” a local woman only identified as Jenny told reporters as to why she was choosing to stay and surf instead of evacuating. “You know, you can’t control Mother Nature. She doesn’t make exceptions. And as a surfer, you never see waves this big except for during hurricanes. So it’s kind of surreal to see them here.”

As much of a rush as it may be, it’s still incredibly dangerous, no matter how good of a surfer you think you are. And that includes the professionals, like 16-year-old pro surfer Zander Venezia, who was killed in 2017 while attempting to ride the mega-swell created by Hurricane Irma in Barbados.

For the latest on Hurricane Florence, and other storms circulating in the Atlantic, stay tuned to the National Hurricane Center, and heed all of their warnings.