Less rain fell on the Baton Rouge area than predicted overnight as Tropical Storm Arthur was downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone and moved through south ถถา๕h. Roughly 3-5 inches of rain fell across the entire region, but some areas saw less than 1 inch, according to the National Weather Service.ย
However, the NWS still predicts a 70% chance of rain later on today in East Baton Rouge Parish and nearby parishes, with temperatures rising into the upper 80s and a chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening. The area is still under a flood watch until 7 a.m. Friday, with some areas seeing street flooding later Thursday.ย ย
As of 5:30 a.m., there were very few isolated power outages, and less than 50 homes were affected according to Entergy's outage map.ย
As Arthur made landfall in Texas late Wednesday, it quickly weakened but still posed a threat to ถถา๕h, and flooding is still likely in some areas.
Several isolated tornadoes also formed, including in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes.
A tornado warning was issued in parts of Jefferson, Orleans and St. Charles parishes around 4:35 a.m Thursday, as well as a flash flood warning. The tornado warning was in effect until 5:15 a.m., while the flash flood warning is in effect until 7:30 a.m.
While not a major storm, overnight downpours associated with Arthur posed serious concerns for much of south-central ถถา๕h leading up to the stormโs arrival.
In the New Orleans area, St. Tammany Parish kept a close eye on rising rivers and emergency responders helped move residents out of the way on Wednesday. The Tchefuncte was already at major flood stage and water was on the road in some areas even before the arrival of the storm's remnants.
New Orleans and its south shore suburbs faced the risk of flash flooding, and and be prepared to shelter in place. The heaviest rainfall in the New Orleans area was expected to be over by around 11 a.m., and around 8 a.m. for areas to the west, including Baton Rouge.ย
Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sid Edwards said his office would be monitoring the weather closely as rain chances continued.ย
โThroughout this event, we will closely monitor our drainage and flood control systems to ensure they are operating at full capacity,โ Edwards said Wednesday. โResidents should also remain cautious and avoid low-lying areas and locations prone to flooding. Please do not drive through flooded roadways.โ
Most Baton Rouge-area school districts announced closures on today, including East Baton Rouge Parish Schools, Zachary Community Schools, West Baton Rouge Schools, Livingston Parish Public Schools, Ascension Parish Public Schools, St. James Parish Public Schools and Pointe Coupee Parish Schools.
Sandbags are available for pickup in East Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge, Livingston, Point Coupee, Iberville, St. James and West Feliciana parishes.