New Orleans Weather: Latest on Tropical Storm Lee and Hurricane Katia

New Orleans Weather Patterns; Tropical Storm Lee Approaches

NEW ORLEANS, LA - As the Labor Day weekend begins, mother nature is again at work, with two large storms forming south of the United States. Tropical Storm Lee is projected to make landfall in Louisiana this weekend while it is still not certain where Hurricane Katia will end up, although there are indications she may hit the east coast. After Hurricane Irene swept through last weekend, authorities and citizens alike have one eye on the weather news as the Labor Day weekend begins.

According to WWLTV, New Orleans is preparing for any possible effects Tropical Storm Lee could have on the area this weekend.

"The pumping capacity is at 100 percent. We will close gates as necessary, but most importantly, it's important that citizens clean their catch basins, clean their drains," said the executive director of the S&WB, Marcia St. Martin, according to their report.

"Get ready for the wind, get ready for the rain. It's coming and it's going to be here for a while," said Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal on Friday Reuters reported.

WLBT in Jackson, Mississippi is reporting that it is currently likely that Tropical Storm Lee will not form into a hurricane because of wind sheer. Having said that, authorities and residents along the southern coast are preparing for large amounts of rain that can still come with a tropical storm.

"It's a lot of rain. It's nothing, nothing to Katrina," Malcolm James, 59, told the Telegraph

As of 8 p.m. on Friday, Lee was about 180 miles southwest of the mouth of the Mississippi River. It was crawling north at 3 mph.

Meanwhile, eyes were also on Hurricane Katia, which is expected to steadily bulk up over the next week to category 2 status with sustained winds of 110 mph.