TROPICAL STORM BILL APPROACHING THE LOUISIANA COAST;
DANGEROUS FLOOD THREAT FROM RAINFALL AND STORM SURGE

June 30, 2003 � At 11 a.m. EDT, the center of Tropical Storm Bill was located near latitude 28.8 north, longitude 91.5 west or about 50 miles south-southwest of Morgan City, La. Bill is moving toward the north near 14 mph, and this motion is expected to bring the storm inland over Louisiana later Monday, according to the NOAA National Hurricane Center in Miami, Fla. (Click NOAA satellite image for larger view of Tropical Storm Bill, which was taken by the NOAA environmental satellite GOES-10 looking east toward Florida at 9:45 a.m. EDT. Please credit “NOAA.”)

Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 60 mph with higher gusts. Some additional strengthening is still possible during the several hours remaining before landfall.

Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 145 miles from the center. The estimated minimum central pressure is 1001 mb, 29.56 inches.

Storm surge coastal flooding is expected to be about 3 to 5 feet above normal tide levels near and to the east of where the center crosses the coast. Additional rainfall amounts of 5 to 10 inches are expected over portions of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the western Florida panhandle. (Click NOAA tracking map for larger view.)

Isolated tornadoes are possible over portions of southeastern Louisiana, southern Mississippi, southern Alabama and the western Florida panhandle.

A hurricane watch is in effect from Intracoastal City, La., eastward to Morgan City, La. A tropical storm warning remains in effect from east of High Island, Texas, to Pascagoula, Miss.

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Relevant Web Sites
NOAA National Hurricane Center — Get the latest advisories here

NOAA Atlantic Hurricanes Database — 150 Years of Atlantic Hurricanes

NOAA Forecasters Say Six to Nine Hurricanes Could Threaten in 2003

Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale

NOAA River Forecast Centers

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Media Contact:
Frank Lepore, NOAA Hurricane Center, (305) 229-4404