Those who may have missed it last night Tropical Depression 8 formed in the Gulf of Mexico, and by the end of the day Friday we may be looking at Tropical Storm Hanna.
As of the 7:00 a.m. bulletin the storm is moving WNW at 9 mph with winds around 30 mph, gusts approximately 40 mph and a central pressure of 1007 mb.
Landfall of the storm is anticipated early Saturday morning just north of Corpus Christi, Texas which has been hinted at for the last several days by the major models.
While the official formation of T.D. 8 is new the impacts to Acadiana haven't really changed from what has been discussed for the better part of the week.
The storm is fairly sloppy and widespread so, despite a landfall along the Texas coastline, we will still feel the effects from this storm along south Louisiana in the form of heavy tropical showers.
Rainfall won't be continuous but will arrive in waves as the storm moves west, this will give the ground a chance to drain before the next round of showers move through the area.
Even with breaks in the action, however, localized flooding will still be possible with impressive rain rates indicative of tropical showers which can cause pooling in low lying areas.
Rain totals are going to hover around an inch on average through central Acadiana, but the further south and east you go the greater the likelihood of running into heavier showers.
Keep in mind that when dealing with tropical showers those numbers can be doubled in isolated areas, simply due to the nature of the rain.
As far as the winds go it'll get breezy with those tropical bands with winds from the east around 10-15 mph through the day on Friday and into Saturday, but those winds quickly pick up if you head offshore.
Just off the coast winds will be around 25-30 mph, with wind gusts that are higher than that especially around the center of the storm.
