Tropical Storm Barry nears New Orleans, raising flood threat4Photo© dnaindia.com

Tropical Storm Barry nears New Orleans, raising flood threat

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New Orleans officials warned city residents to stock up on supplies and prepare to shelter in their homes on Friday as "life-threatening" Tropical Storm Barry was poised to come ashore as possibly the first Atlantic hurricane of 2019.

While the tempest did not yet have hurricane-force winds, it was forecast to bring torrential rains of up to 25 inches (64 cm) in certain places, which officials said risked flooding along the already-swollen lower Mississippi River.

"Tropical Storm Barry is a dangerous and life-threatening storm," National Weather Service meteorologist Benjamin Schott warned a news conference. "Major to ... record flooding will be possible."