Isaac came ashore a category 1 storm, but its toll on the northern Gulf
coast has exceeded what one might expect from a “low-end”
hurricane. Its large size helped it spread vast
quantities of water ashore - both from the ocean and the sky. Not to mention it
has spawned numerous tornadoes and led to hundreds of thousands of power
outages.
Rainfall
New Orleans
*Average rainfall totals around New Orleans have been in the 9-12” range.
* New Orleans International Airport has officially received 9.69” and
it’s still raining.
* The 7.86” New Orleans International Airport received Wednesday set a
daily rainfall record shattering the 4.5” mark established during Katrina in
2005. And it’s more than the city averages in an entire month (5.98”)
* The National Hurricane Center said last night an unofficial total of
18.35” was reported in Gretna, Louisiana
Here are some other totals measured from around the Crescent
City:
Audubon Park: 11.19” (through Wednesday)
New Orleans City Hall: 11.5”
New Orleans City Hall: 11.5”
Mississippi
* The bulls-eye for extreme rainfall has occurred around Pascagoula where
around 20” of rain has fallen according to two WeatherBug stations there which
have recorded 21.37 and 17.74”. Severe flooding has been reported in that area -
not to mention a tornado touched
down in the vicinity.
* Some other totals from MS:
Gulfport: 9.59” (through Wednesday)
Waveland: 8.69”
Biloxi: 4.61” (WeatherBug report)
Waveland: 8.69”
Biloxi: 4.61” (WeatherBug report)
Alabama/Florida
*Generally 2-5” fell along the coast of Alabama to the western panhandle
of Florida. Here are a few totals:
Mobile Airport: 4.67”
Pensacola (Fl): 2-3”
Pensacola (Fl): 2-3”
Total output
* The Weather Channel’s Greg Forbes estimates Isaac will produce 23.5
trillion gallons of rain water or enough to fill 35.6 million swimming
pools.
Storm surge
* Generally speaking, the highest storm surge levels were around 8-10
feet in southeast Louisiana and coastal Mississippi.
“The peak 11.06′ storm surge at 1:30 am EDT this morning at Shell Beach,
which is in Lake Borgne, 20 miles southeast of New Orleans, exceeded the 9.5′
surge recorded there during Category 2 Hurricane Gustav of 2008. In general, the
storm surge heights from Isaac have been more characteristic of a strong
Category 2 hurricane, rather than the weak Category 1 hurricane”
Wind gusts
* Weather.com reports a wind gust to 113 mph was
clocked in Belle Chasse, southeast of New Orleans along the Mississippi
river.
* Wind has gusted to at least 30 mph for 51 straight hours at New Orleans
International Airport
* The peak wind gust at New Orleans International Airport was 68 mph
recorded at 4 and 5 a.m. Wednesday morning
* The WeatherBug network clocked a gust to 90 mph at East Jefferson
General Hospital just to the northwest of downtown New Orleans
Tornadoes and tornado warnings
* NOAA issued 47 tornado warnings Wednesday and received 9 tornado
reports
* NOAA has already issued nearly 40 tornado warnings this morning and
received at least 3 reports
Power outages
* The storm knocked power out to nearly 700,000 customers in southern
Louisiana as of this morning (source: New Orleans
Times-Picayune)
Potential economic cost
Via Reuters: “Hurricane Isaac has
caused up to $1 billion in economic losses for offshore energy properties and up
to $1.5 billion in insured losses onshore in Louisiana and neighboring states,
disaster modeler Eqecat said on Wednesday.”
Additional reading
New Orleans: By the
Numbers
(weather.com)
By | 11:01
AM ET, 08/30/2012
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