Remnants of Lee Head North; Hurricane Katia Picks Up Strength

Cheryl Gerber/Getty Images(NEW ORLEANS) -- With Hurricane Katia picking up steam as it moves across the Atlantic Ocean, Tropical Depression Lee is moving up the East Coast after drenching parts of the deep South and leaving thousands without power.

On Monday, the skies over Louisiana were clearing after Lee, which made landfall as a tropical storm Sunday, dropped more than 14 inches of rain in some parts -- more than the state normally gets in a month.  Although the storm system was downgraded to a depression overnight, forecasters still warned of heavy rain and flooding.

In Mississippi, nearly 5,000 customers were reportedly without power.

In some parts of Louisiana, small boats were the only way to get around.  Winds knocked down trees and spawned water spouts.

The storm put New Orleans' post-Katrina flood protection to the test.  Some of the city's streets were flooded but the pumping system kept pace.  Evacuations appeared to be in the hundreds, not the thousands.

Before Lee was downgraded, the storm produced almost 20 tornadoes during the weekend in several Gulf Coast states.

Craig Staples told ABC News that it felt like Hurricane Katrina again.

"Not as bad, kind of scary," Staples said.  "It's a shock."

Meanwhile, Katia was downgraded to a Category 3 hurricane on Tuesday after becoming the first Category 4 storm of the 2011 Atlantic season overnight.  The hurricane is about 400 miles away from Bermuda with maximum sustained winds of 125 miles per hour.

According to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami, Katia is not expected to make landfall on the U.S. but could bring strong rip currents along the country's East Coast and Bermuda come Wednesday.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

State of Emergency Declared in Louisiana ahead of Storm

File photo. Burton McNeely/Getty Images(NEW ORLEANS) -- With the threat of a tropical storm forming in the Gulf of Mexico that could bring upwards of a foot of rain this Labor Day holiday weekend to Southern U.S. cities like New Orleans, the governor of Louisiana has declared a state of emergency in advance of potential flooding.

The system, known as Tropical Depression 13, is currently south of Louisiana and is expected to move slowly north, making landfall in the state sometime Sunday late afternoon or evening as a tropical storm packing winds up to 60 miles per hour.  Should that happen, it would be named Tropical Storm Lee.

The storm is forecast to bring torrential rainfall to cities like New Orleans, where some areas just south of the city could see up to 20 inches of rain.  The amount of rain will depend on how long the storm sits in the area.

A tropical storm warning has been issued for New Orleans, as well as for other parts of Louisiana, and for parts of Mississippi and Texas.

Meanwhile, Katia remains a tropical storm and is not expected to pick up much strength on Friday, according to the National Hurricane Center. It is not forecast to make landfall near the U.S. this weekend.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Storms Threaten Rain for Labor Day Weekend

Matt Cardy/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Labor Day weekend could be the last chance sunbathers have to enjoy the beach this summer season, or it could be another wallop of wet weather if two storm systems make their way to land.

Dual storm systems are barreling toward the Gulf Coast and the East Coast as the holiday weekend approaches, threatening large waves, rainy weather, and nervous beachgoers who could choose to stay home.

Katia was declared a Category 1 hurricane Thursday morning, with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph. The storm is not expected to hit land during the weekend, but rough weather is expected to hit the Carribbean, and Katia could make landfall in the U.S. next week, according to Dennis Feltgen, spokesman for the National Hurricane Center.

In the Gulf of Mexico, a tropical disturbance that could become Tropical Storm Lee is heading for Gulf Coast beaches this weekend. Beaches from the Florida panhandle to the Texas coast could be hit with torrential flooding rainfall and at least some coastal flooding and high surf, according to Weather.com.

There have already been evacuations of some personnel from offshore oil rigs, the report said.

Feltgen said the weather in the Gulf is expected to become a tropical cyclone in the next 48 hours, and potential visitors all along the Gulf Coast should keep an eye on the storm as they make their weekend plans.

"Parts of the Gulf Coast really need the rain, so it could be a godsend to some places," Feltgen said. "We want the rain but wouldn't want the winds."

Feltgen said it's too early to tell whether Katia will hit the U.S., or predict when or where it could make landfall. It is, however, expected to strengthen over the holiday weekend.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Katia Becomes Second Hurricane of 2011 Atlantic Season

NOAA/National Weather Service/National Hurricane Center(MIAMI) -- Katia, which earlier this week was named a tropical storm off the West African coast, has picked up enough strength to become the second hurricane of the 2011 Atlantic season.

The storm developed into a category 1 hurricane Wednesday night with maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour.  It is currently more than 1,000 miles east of the Leeward Islands and is moving west/northwest at 20 miles per hour.

Hurricane Katia is projected to steer clear of the Caribbean Islands and could pick up considerable strength by the week's end.

"We are expecting strengthening over the next couple of days and it could become a major hurricane or category 3 strength by the weekend," says Hurricane Specialist Daniel Brown at the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

But, as Brown says, "it's a little too early to know whether or not it could threaten the United States."

Another system, however, could pose a threat to the southeastern region of the country.  The National Hurricane Center says "a large area of cloudiness and thunderstorms over the eastern Gulf of Mexico" could develop into a tropical depression.  The system also has a 60 percent chance of developing into what would be Tropical Storm Lee in the next two days, the hurricane center said on Thursday.

Should this system strengthen, it could bring heavy rain to New Orleans and northern Florida over the Labor Day holiday weekend.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio