Tropical Storm Barry could hit Louisiana as a hurricane, bringing rain and riptides to Florida

The low pressure system southwest of Florida has strengthened to a tropical storm Thursday, and the system could possibly upgrade to a hurricane.

The second named storm of the 2019 season, Tropical Storm Barry is expected to bring winds and rain to Florida, with the possibility of “life threatening storm surge inundation across the coast of southern and southeastern Louisiana,” according to the National Hurricane Center.

Maximum sustained winds were set at 40 mph at 11 a.m. Thursday, while “additional strengthening is expected during the next day or two, and Barry could become a hurricane late Friday or early Saturday,” the center says.

Landfall is expected to hit the central or southeastern coast of Louisiana, which is currently on hurricane watch.

“Main impacts across central and southwest Florida will be dangerous rip currents and increased showers and storms,” according to the National Weather Service Tampa Bay branch.

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This article appears in Jul 10-16, 2019.