That is a scary thought! hours of waiting for it to pass!!
...Category three Katrina moving westward in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico...little change in strength the past few hours...
a Hurricane Watch remains in effect for the southeastern coast of Louisiana east of Morgan City to the mouth of the Pearl River... including metropolitan New Orleans and Lake Ponchartrain. A Hurricane Watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area...generally within 36 hours.
A Hurricane Watch will likely be required for other portions of the northern Gulf Coast later today or tonight. Interests in this area should monitor the progress of Katrina.
A Tropical Storm Warning remains in effect west of Key West to the Dry Tortugas.
For storm information specific to your area...including possible inland watches and warnings...please monitor products issued by your local weather office.
At 1 PM CDT...1800z...the center of Hurricane Katrina was located near latitude 24.5 north...longitude 85.4 west or about 390 miles southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River and about 230 miles west of Key West Florida.
Katrina is moving toward the west near 7 mph. A gradual turn toward the west-northwest is expected during the next 24 hours.
Maximum sustained winds are near 115 mph...with higher gusts. Katrina is a category three hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Some strengthening is forecast during the next 24 hours...and Katrina could become a category four hurricane.
Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 40 miles from the center...and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 150 miles. NOAA buoy 42003 located northwest of the center recently reported sustained winds of 46 mph with a gust to 56 mph.
The latest minimum central pressure reported by a NOAA hurricane hunter aircraft is 949 mb...28.02 inches.
Storm surge flooding along the southwestern coast of Florida should subside today.
Katrina is expected to produce rainfall amounts of 5 to 10 inches over western Cuba...and 1 to 3 inches of rainfall is expected over the Yucatan Peninsula. Rainfall from Katrina should begin to push into the central Gulf Coast late Sunday afternoon into Sunday evening.
Repeating the 1 PM CDT position...24.5 N... 85.4 W. Movement toward...west near 7 mph. Maximum sustained winds...115 mph. Minimum central pressure... 949 mb.
The next advisory will be issued by the National Hurricane Center at 4 PM CDT.
Forecaster Beven