Hurricane Isaac slows to 7 mph with dangerous storm surge
Lumbering Hurricane Isaac’s speed dropped to 7 mph by midnight Tuesday but maintained its 80-mph winds, the National Hurricane Center said.
The 350-mile-wide Category 1 storm came ashore in southeastern Louisiana at 6:45 p.m., moving northwest. Its slow speed means it is likely to hover over at least three states -- Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama -- dumping rain for days.
“Isaac [is] moving slowly along the coast of southeast Louisiana and producing a dangerous storm surge,” the hurricane center said. “Flooding from rainfall [is] also expected.”
As of midnight, Isaac’s eye was about 70 miles south of New Orleans.
More than 280,000 customers had lost power, the Weather Channel reported.
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