As of this writing, Hurricane Isaac is 55 MI south-southeast from the mouth of the Mississippi River, moving northwestward at 10 MPH with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph. Flooding and rainfall is expected in the area.
Currently, tropical storm force winds are occurring at the mouth of the Mississippi river, with sustained winds of 60 MPH.
The National Hurricane Center has issued a Hurricane warning for east of Morgan City, Louisiana to the Mississippi-Alabama Border. This includes Metropolitan New Orleans, Lake Pontchartrain, and Lake Maurepas.
A hurricane watch is in effect for Intracoastal City to Morgan City, Louisiana.
A tropical storm warning is in effect for the Mississippi-Alabama border to Destin, Florida, and for Morgan City to Cameron, Louisiana.
Lastly, a tropical storm watch is in effect for the east of High Island, Texas to just west of Cameron, Louisiana.
New Orleans Mayor, Mich Landrieu, decided not to order an evacuation. Compared to Katrina, which was a Category 5 at its peak and made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane, Isaac is only a Category 1.
The Low lying counties in Isaac's path, such as Harrison County, Mississippi, and Louisiana's St. Charles Parish and Terrebonne Parish have been subject to evacuation orders.
Isaac was officially classified as a Category 1 hurricane as it tumbled through the Gulf of Mexico toward Louisiana today.
Obama commented on the storm before embarking on his presidential campaign, stating: "Now is not the time to tempt fate...You need to take this seriously."
The National Hurricane Center predicts that Isaac could cause storm surges as high as 12 feet along the coasts of southeast Louisiana and Mississippi and up to 6 feet at the Florida Panhandle.