Tropical Storm Nate leaves 21 dead as it churns toward Louisiana

Tropical Storm Nate was clocking 50 mph winds Friday as it swept toward the Gulf Coast, leaving an estimated 21 people dead after passing over Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Honduras on Thursday, CNN reports:

Nate is expected to worsen into a category 1 hurricane over the weekend as it makes landfall near New Orleans and sweeps toward the border of Alabama and Florida. "There is no need to panic," said New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu (D) after declaring a state of emergency. "Be ready and prepare. Get a plan. Prepare to protect your personal property." Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) has also declared a state of emergency across the entire state.

The United States has been slammed by three major hurricanes this season so far: Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Hurricane Irma in Florida, and Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. The Nate storm system "will still be fairly strong when it makes landfall, but it will be a quicker moving storm than the last few we have had," said CNN meteorologist Haley Brink. "It's supposed to be in and out pretty quickly." As much as 12 inches of rain are expected in certain areas.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up