I know that the latest official forecast still has Katrina passing directly over New Orleans, but haven't the computer models now clearly shifted to the east? Isn't it probable that the next forecast will predict landfall on the Mississippi-Alabama border?
Yes, and that is why everyone in the northern GOM should be watching this storm closely.
The NHC track still has a cone of uncertainty covering four states. The 11AM update removed the extreme western portion of Louisiana from the cone.
My nephew told me that the further north a hurricane goes the more east it wants to go. It is possible that it could shift east but the other influencing factors are causing it to go west. I have also heard that when a hurricane gets that big, it can overwhelm any other influences and goes where is wants to.