Tropical storm descends on Gulf Coast

Cristobal made landfall on the southeast Louisiana coast on Sunday, packing winds of 50 miles per hour. The storm was below hurricane strength as it moved inland, but forecasters cautioned its effects could stretch some 180 miles along the Gulf Coast. The National Hurricane Center said Cristobal will weaken into a tropical depression today as it moves across southeastern Louisiana, Arkansas, and Missouri before entering Canada on Wednesday.

What should those in the storm’s path expect? Forecasters predict as much as a foot of rain and storm surges of up to 5 feet in parts of Louisiana and Mississippi. In Florida, a tornado uprooted trees and struck power lines south of Lake City on Sunday afternoon. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency and the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Miss., canceled coronavirus testing events scheduled for today.

Dig deeper: Read Leah Hickman’s report on how one Midwest town recovered after a tornado destroyed 600 homes in 2013.