NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The Latest on weather in Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey (all times local):
8:00 p.m.
The National Weather Service has placed Lafayette Parish and the surrounding areas are under a tornado watch.
The watch is in effect until 2 a.m. Monday morning.
In addition the service has forecast an additional three inches of rain for Lafayette on Sunday night and another three to five inches on Monday.
The Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office is monitoring several roads in the parish for accumulation of water.
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5:30 p.m.
The National Weather Service has confirmed a tornado touched down in the Vermilion Parish town in Louisiana.
NWS Meteorologist Jared Rackley says the tornado hit around 2:15 p.m. Sunday. He says there were no reports of injuries or fatalities but there were some property damage.
The NWS placed Calcasieu and Cameron parishes under a tornado watch until 2 a.m. Monday.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards says the storm is “wreaking havoc” on the Gulf Coast. He says residents in the southwestern regions of the state should stay vigilant in preparing for more storms because they are “not of the woods.”
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3:20 p.m.
The voluntary evacuation order for areas of Cameron Parish is still in place.
The Cameron Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness announced Sunday that schools and central office will be closed Monday. All dump sites in the area are also closed.
Cameron OHSEP will notify residents when the evacuation will be fully lifted.
Officials caution motorists about the potential for high water, road hazards, strong winds, and tornadoes.
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10:40 a.m.
Louisiana has dispatched teams of wildlife and fisheries agents to assist with search and rescue efforts in Texas in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.
Gov. John Bel Edwards spokesman Richard Carbo said Sunday in a text message that the state had sent 10 agents, 10 trucks and 10 boats as of early this morning. He says the state also sent personnel to help Texas officials coordinate other out-of-state resources being sent there.
In Texas, at least two people are dead and more than a dozen injured due to the storm that has battered the region, including the cities of Corpus Christi and Houston. The storm could linger for days in the region and could unload as much as 40 inches of rain on cities including Houston.
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10:20 a.m.
Southwest Louisiana has experienced some heavy rain despite the slow moving Hurricane Harvey in Texas.
National Weather Service meteorologist Roger Erickson says around 10-15 inches of rain poured in Lake Charles and Cameron on Saturday night into Sunday morning. He expects rainfall to expand further east of the state during the first part of the week.
Erickson says the storm in central Texas has been slow moving. He doesn’t expect anything major storms to occur until Thursday or Friday.
In Texas, at least two people are dead and more than a dozen injured due to the storm that has battered the region, including the cities of Corpus Christi and Houston. The storm could linger for days in the region and could unload as much as 40 inches of rain on cities including Houston.
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9:45 a.m.
The National Weather Service says flash floods could occur in parts of southwest Louisiana, a result of the catastrophic rain being dumped in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. A flash flood watch remains in effect until 7 p.m. Monday for Acadia, Allen, Beauregard, and Vernon parishes.
The weather service said Sunday that rainfall amounts of 10 to 14 inches are expected in the region through Tuesday. Intense rainfall may overwhelm local drainage systems.
Tornadoes were also a threat. Calcasieu and Cameron parishes were under a tornado watch until 1 p.m. Sunday.
Parts of the state’s northwest, including Sabine Parish, have been under a flash flood watch since Friday.
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5:25 p.m. Saturday
The evacuation for areas of Cameron Parish has been downgraded to voluntary instead of mandatory.
The Cameron Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness announced the change Saturday, saying it was effective as of 4 p.m.
There are no inundated roads at this time, but officials caution motorists about the potential for high water, road hazards, strong winds, and tornadoes.
Cameron OHSEP will notify residents when the evacuation will be fully lifted.
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This story has been corrected to show evacuation downgraded instead of upgraded
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3:50 p.m.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards says the National Weather Service has confirmed a tornado touched down in the Cameron Parish town of Hackberry.
The tornado hit about 12:25 p.m. Saturday. Edwards says there were no reports of injuries or fatalities but there was “significant property damage.”
Meteorologist Jared Rackley says they have yet to survey the area but photos show an overturned camper and other damage.
Rackley says a tornado watch is up for most of southwest Louisiana and south-central Louisiana until 2 a.m. Sunday.
He urges residents to remain on guard as a heavy amount of rain was expected to fall on the state over the next several days.
In addition, he said the Coast Guard is searching for at least one person who reportedly fell off a boat in Cameron Parish.
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1 p.m.
Remnants from Hurricane Harvey were expected to dump heavy rain and cause possible flooding on parts of southwest and south-central Louisiana.
The Calcasieu Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness says the forecast path keeps the storm meandering inland off the central Texas coast and was not expected to move back over the Gulf. Louisiana officials say that’s good news, but doesn’t put the state’s residents out of the woods.
Roger Erickson of the National Weather Service in Lake Charles said Saturday that rain totals over the next seven days include anywhere from 7 to 13 inches in southwest Louisiana, 5.75 to 11 inches in south-central Louisiana and 3.25 to 7.5 inches in central Louisiana.
Parish officials also say there is a small risk for isolated tornadoes across east Texas and southwest Louisiana through Saturday.
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8:30 a.m.
With a powerful Hurricane Harvey pounding neighboring Texas, Louisiana officials are preparing for the possibility of days of flooding rain from the storm.
Gov. John Bel Edwards was scheduled to be briefed Saturday afternoon by state emergency officials. And he was to speak to the media afterward.
Bands of rain from Harvey were hitting Louisiana on Friday. Forecasters said the extreme southwestern part of the state could get 15 to 20 inches of rain over seven days. And officials urged vigilance in New Orleans, where problems with the drainage system were exposed during flash floods on Aug. 5.
The drainage system has been improved but officials say it is still not operating at full capacity.
Complicating Louisiana’s planning: the storm’s slow movement and unpredictable long-term track.
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