The eye of the storm was expected to pass late Saturday or early Sunday about 50 miles east of New Orleans. Over the warm waters of the northwestern Caribbean Sea, Nate was forecast to gain strength as it approaches the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico later Friday and possibly strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane by the time it makes landfall.
A tropical storm warning was issued late Friday morning for New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain, west to Morgan City, Louisiana.
A a hurricane warning was issued from Grand Isle, Louisiana, to the Alabama-Florida border.
A storm surge warning was put in place from Morgan City to the Alabama-Florida line, as well as along the northern and western shores of Lake Pontchartrain.
Louisiana
Of the city's 120 main drainage pumps, three major and nine smaller ones were offline Thursday night. Also, all 24 major pump stations had backup generators, as only three of five turbines that help power the city's oldest, most powerful pumps were available for service. The Louisiana Governor authorized 1,300 National Guard troops to mobilize ahead of the storm, with some headed to New Orleans to help monitor the pumps.
Central Gulf Coast, Tennessee, Southern Appalachian Mountains
The storm could drop 3 to 6 inches of rain, with 12 inches possible in some areas, from the central Gulf Coast north through Tennessee and the southern Appalachians through the weekend, possibly spawning flash floods.
Florida and Alabama
Though Florida remained largely out of the forecast cone, hurricane, tropical storm and storm surge watches were issued late Friday from the state's border with Alabama east as far as Indian Pass.
In Alabama, a statewide emergency declaration was signed and went into effect Friday morning. The move "frees up personnel and resources in case there is a need to respond to any storm related activity." The mayor of Mobile, Alabama warned residents Friday about storm surge. "We encourage citizens in low-lying areas to pay special attention to newscasts. There is a projected 4- to 7-(foot) storm surge. It will happen to coincide with high tide, which will give you additional water levels." Mobile officials were checking storm drains for debris, taking measures to avert power outages and deploying critical equipment. Shelters were prepared to open, if necessary.
Southeast Tennessee and Southwest North Carolina
The Knoxville area is likely to dodge the worst weather as the remnants of Tropical Storm Nate reach East Tennessee by Sunday. Rainfall of more than 4 inches is possible for southeast Tennessee and southwest North Carolina, with the potential for flooding in the headwaters of the French Broad and Pigeon rivers. Locally, 2-3 inches of rainfall is expected, beginning with scattered showers as early as Saturday night. The heaviest rains should fall Sunday afternoon and into Sunday evening.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/06/us/tropical-storm-nate-forecast/index.html
http://www.knoxnews.com/story/weath...ed-dodge-worst-tropical-storm-nate/740128001/
