Baton Rouge asks residents to prepare for Tropical Storm winds and flooding

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Baton Rouge officials ask residents to prepare for potential flooding as region braces for storm

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Local and state officials are closely watching what could become a tropical depression headed toward southeast Louisiana and are asking residents to prepare for significant rainfall later this week despite the somewhat uncertain impacts of the system.

The National Weather Service issued a tropical storm warning for the central Gulf Coast starting at 4 p.m. Sunday, which means tropical storm conditions are forecast within 48 hours, including winds between 39 and 73 mph.

The main threat for the Baton Rouge area appears to be flooding as the system is now projected to dump heavy rain on the region Tuesday night into Wednesday, according the National Weather Service in Slidell. Experts are also concerned because recent rainy weather over the past several days has left the ground saturated in some areas, increasing the risk of flooding.

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The current tropical storm watch extends from the Alabama–Florida border to Morgan City. In addition to East and West Baton Rouge parishes, the watch area includes Iberville, Livingston, the Florida parishes and the River parishes between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. The Acadiana region is not included in that watch area but will likely receive heavy rainfall that could cause some threat of flooding, according to the National Weather Service in Lake Charles.

Forecasts for the Baton Rouge metro area show potential rainfall of 4 to 7 inches over the course of the upcoming week between Monday night and Thursday. The Lafayette area is similarly projected to receive around 5 inches within the next several days.

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Zeigler added that local rivers — which flooded spectacularly in 2016 — are "in OK shape" and not a major source of alarm right now given their current levels. He said forecasters are watching known trouble spots and could start issuing flash flood watches and warnings within 36 hours of a projected event, in this case potentially starting Monday afternoon or evening.

The meteorologist also said he is cautious about comparing one weather event to another and would not want to suggest that the current tropical system is at all similar to the 2016 floods that devastated the Baton Rouge region and parts of Acadiana.

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