Hurricane Katrina Smashes Into Gulf Coast

Early this morning, Hurricane Katrina made its first landfall in the south Louisiana peninsula. Katrina was a Category 4 hurricane, one of the most destructive of the breed. The most destruction occurred at its third landfall, when 125 mph winds and cataclysmic flooding devastated the Louisiana/Mississippi border. Close by, the New Orleans levee system collapsed under the strain, sending 3 to 8 feet of water through the city. The winds at the Lake Front Airport had reached 86 mph when observations stopped coming. Structural damage covers New Orleans. In the neighboring city of Gulfport, MS, the Weather Channel Storm Tracker reported storm surges of at least 27 feet. Areas as far away as the Florida panhandle were impacted by Katrina. Waves along those beaches could reach from 25 to 35 feet this afternoon. In fact, a buoy 70 miles south of the Alabama border reported wave action up to 48 feet! According to The Weather Channel, Katrina is expected to turn into a Tropical Storm by tonight, but destructive winds and heavy rainfall, along with an isolated tornado or two, are projected to continue up toward Cincinnati, Ohio (see graphic for minute-by-minute details).

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Wow. Yet another incredibly destructive storm has laid waste to our coastlines this year. Ken Ham wrote an excellent article Sunday afternoon concerning the impending disaster. Read it here. As you might notice by glancing through my archives, this is the third article I have written concerning this year's flood of hurricanes (pun intended). It is interesting to note, in the light of previous posts, that Katrina set the 4th lowest recorded pressure for the Atlantic Gulf at 902 mb. Also, it did the most extreme damage to a strip of casinos and gambling halls along the Gulfport, MS seaboard. Take a look at my earlier posts concerning hurricanes: Hurricane after Hurricane: What does it mean? Hurricane Irene? In Him, D3