Cristobal inches closer to Gulf Coast
Storm slows to 5 mph, threatens heavy flooding
NEW ORLEANS – Tropical Storm Cristobal slowed down on its trek toward the Gulf Coast on Sunday but is still expected to bring flooding downpours, dangerous storm surge and blustery winds.
As the storm remained offshore, thousands were without power Sunday morning in parts of coastal Louisiana and Mississippi. Some roads had flooded. The National Weather Service reported one tornado Saturday night in Florida, near downtown Orlando.
The third named storm of a busy Atlantic hurricane season was not expected to intensify into a hurricane, but it will leave its mark as it moves inland along the southeast coast of Louisiana, forecasters said.
Squalls with tropical-force winds reached the mouth of the Mississippi River on Sunday, with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph. The storm, which was about 90 miles south of New Orleans by Sunday afternoon, slowed down to 5 mph on a northward trajectory after it had been moving at 12 mph earlier in the day. The National Hurricane Center expected “a gradual turn toward the north-northwest late” Sunday.
“Conditions are expected to continue to deteriorate today,” the National Hurricane Center in Miami warned. “The center of Cristobal will approach the northern Gulf of Mexico coast this afternoon, then move inland across Louisiana late today through Monday morning, and northward across Arkansas and Missouri Monday afternoon into Tuesday.”
In Louisiana, Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency. “Continue to stay weather aware this weekend as Tropical Storm Cristobal makes its way to Louisiana,” Edwards warned.
Windows were boarded up in New
Orleans hours before Cristobal’s expected landfall. Though the streets were mostly empty, those still running errands were not too concerned with the impending storm.
CR Holloway, 83, a French Quarter resident, wore a face mask as he shopped for sesame seeds for a dinner party he plans to host Monday evening. When asked about the potential for flooding in the city, he said his thoughts are more occupied with the COVID-19 pandemic and calls for police changes than they are with Cristobal.
“The storm seems like the lesser of all evils, very insignificant compared to what’s going on in our culture,” Holloway said.
Art gallery owner Vina Nguyen also framed the storm in the larger context of events that have rocked her city.
Like many shop owners in downtown New Orleans, Nguyen boarded up her art gallery last week to protect from the protests against police brutality as much as the storm. Before last week’s rallies, the gallery was closed because of the pandemic.
“It’s crazy what we’re going through with the pandemic, the protests and now a tropical storm. It’s an eerie time,” Nguyen said. “I’m kind of in disbelief.”