Barry spins into year’s 1st predicted hurricane

Louisiana coastline residents advised to be on alert

Hurricane forecasters on Wednesday night gave an intensifying blob of storms and clouds in the northern Gulf of Mexico 48 hours to tighten, organize and escalate into a hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

That prediction triggered the first hurricane watch of the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season, meaning people in the targeted path, which currently is the Louisiana coastline, should have their plans in place and be ready to react to hurricane conditions within 48 hours.

The system that looks certain to turn into Hurricane Barry was situated over the northern Gulf of Mexico Wednesday night. Wind speeds were 30 mph as the disturbance moved west to southwest at a slow pace of 8 mph, according to a tropical outlook issued at 8 p.m. by the hurricane center.

Forecasters gave the disturbance a 100 percent chance of turning into a cyclone within 48 hours and progressing right on up to a hurricane.

“Strengthening is forecast during the next 72

hours, and the disturbance is forecast to become a tropical depression early Thursday, a tropical storm by Thursday night, and a hurricane on Friday,” forecaster John Cangialosi wrote in his 8 p.m. advisory.

No impacts were expected in South Florida.

But the conditions that hurricanes bring, like storm surge, heavy rainfall and wind hazards, should be expected on the central Gulf Coast, forecasters said.

Southeastern Louisiana would be especially vulnerable to storm surge, they said.

If all goes as predicted, the storm would likely make landfall as a Category 1 hurricane somewhere between the mouth of the Mississippi River and eastern Texas.

Category 1 is the least intense with wind strength and top gusts blowing at 74 to 95 mph.