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Tropical Storm Barry continued to bear down on the Gulf Coast Friday, flooding parts of New Orleans and prompting mandatory evacuation orders for at least 10,000 people in parts of Louisiana as it was expected to become a hurricane by the weekend.

Just before 11am Thursday morning, the storm officially became a tropical storm, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

The NHC says the storm's maximum sustained winds Thursday morning are near 40mph with additional strengthening expected during the next day or two. A tropical storm warning is now in effect for the Louisiana coast from the mouth of the Pearl River to Morgan City.

'There is a danger of life-threatening storm surge inundation along the coast of southern and southeastern Louisiana, where a Storm Surge Warning is now in effect,' the NHC tweeted shortly after 11am. 

The slow-moving storm was located about 95 miles south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River, the center said. 

While the storm did not yet have hurricane-strength winds, officials warned the heavy rainfall and storm surge it would bring could threaten low-lying New Orleans, which already has been hit by flooding after eight inches of rain fell on the metro city within three hours on Wednesday.  

New Orleans' historic French Quarter was significantly flooded by the storm along Bourbon and Royal streets.  

The center warned New Orleans residents that if the storm becomes a hurricane, it could potentially bring a coastal storm surge into the mouth of the Mississippi River capable of raising the river's height to 20 feet above sea level - the highest crest in more than 90 years and high enough to overflow some sections of the levee system protecting the city.

That warning prompted Louisiana Gov Bel Edwards to declare a state of emergency on Wednesday. 

'The storm system will likely produce storm surge, hurricane force winds,' he said at a news conference. 'No one should take this storm lightly.'  

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Just before 11am Thursday morning, the storm officially became Tropical Storm Barry, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC)

Tropical Storm Barry is the second named tropical storm of the year, and ultimately the first Atlantic hurricane of 2019 as it heads closer to land

The Hurricane Center warned New Orleans residents that if the storm becomes a hurricane, it could potentially bring a coastal storm surge capable of raising the Mississippi River's height to 20 feet above sea level - the highest crest in more than 90 years and high enough to overflow some sections of the levee system protecting the city

Mandatory evacuations have been ordered for at least 10,000 people in parts of Louisiana (partially submerged vehicles in New Orleans on Wednesday) ahead of Tropical Storm Barry that could turn into a hurricane by the weekend

The storm has already dumped as much as eight inches of rain in just three hours over parts of metro New Orleans on Wednesday 

South Telemachus Street in New Orleans was flooded after flash floods struck the area early on Wednesday

The Hurricane Center warned New Orleans residents that if the storm becomes a hurricane, it could potentially bring a coastal storm surge into the mouth of the Mississippi River capable of raising the river's height to 20 feet above sea level, high enough to overflow some sections of the levee system protecting the city

That warning prompted Louisiana Gov Bel Edwards to declare a state of emergency on Wednesday. A New Orleans business is seen flooded Thursday morning  

Two New Orleans residents are seen stranded in flood waters after their car stalled on Thursday 

National Guard troops are in place across the state, the governor said.  

Some residents and visitors prepared to flee New Orleans on Thursday as Tropical Storm Barry closed in and officials warned of 'extreme rain' and flooding.

City officials urged residents to shelter in place rather than evacuate.

Forecasters issued a storm-surge warning of up to 6 feet for a stretch of Louisiana coastline south of already-sodden New Orleans stretching from the mouth of the Atchafalaya River to Shell Beach. 

Rain was an equal danger, given that the lower Mississippi River, which runs through New Orleans, has been above flood stage for six months.

The lower Mississippi is forecast to peak at 19 feet on Saturday, the highest it has been since 1950, according to the National Weather Service.

'The more information we get, the more concerned we are that this is going to be an extreme rain event,' Gov Edwards said Thursday afternoon.

'If Tropical Storm Barry becomes a hurricane, it would be the first time we've had the hurricane hit the state with rising rivers,' he added. 

Edwards said National Guard troops and high-water vehicles would be positioned all over the state.

'The entire coast of Louisiana is at play in this storm,' the governor said. 

Meteorologists said if the storm becomes a hurricane, it's likely to be a Category 1 storm. Certain parts of Louisiana have been issued a hurricane watch (depicted above)

Forecasters predict that there will be coastal inundation of 3 to 6 feet in certain areas depicted on this graphic 

The storm is set to deposit between 10 to 15 inches of rain on the Gulf Coast on Friday and Saturday from west Texas, through New Orleans and the Louisiana coast

The slow-moving storm was located about 90 miles south of the mouth of the Mississippi River at 2pm, the National Hurricane Center said. 

New Orleans has been battered by devastating storms before, including 2005's Hurricane Katrina, which left most of Louisiana's largest city underwater, killed hundreds of residents and displaced 130,000 people. 

Tropical Storm Barry is the second named tropical storm of the year, and ultimately the first Atlantic hurricane of 2019 as it heads closer to land. If it becomes a hurricane, it's likely to be a Category 1 storm. 

The storm is most likely to make landfall west of New Orleans on Saturday, National Weather Service senior hurricane specialist Jack Beven said. 

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell declared an emergency on Wednesday as well. She and other officials spoke at a news conference after storms swamped city streets and paralyzed traffic.

City Hall was closed, and many New Orleans streets were flooded. 

On Thursday Cantrell warned that 48 hours of heavy rainfall could overwhelm the pumps the city uses to fight floodwater, leading to flooding as early as Friday morning.

'We cannot pump our way out of the water levels that are expected to hit the city of New Orleans,' Cantrell said. 'We need you to understand this.'

Water pumps already were working at capacity after heavy rains, she said.

Cantrell said no official evacuation orders were being issued but urged people to gather supplies (pictured at a grocery store), secure their property and shelter in place 

The Piggly Wiggly grocery store in Jean Lafitte was selling out of bottled water, orange juice, bread and milk (pictured)

The bread shelf at the grocery store was nearly cleaned out by Thursday afternoon as residents prepared to shelter in place in Jean Lafitte

Several residents cleared the shelves as they grabbed multiple cases of water (pictured)

Cantrell said no official evacuation orders were being issued but urged people to gather supplies, secure their property and shelter in place.

But some in New Orleans decided to get out.

In the city's Bywater neighborhood a block from the Mississippi River, Betsey and Jack Hazard were preparing to repair a fence around their house and flee with their two small children to Mississippi.

'It's really the river that has us worried,' said Betsey, saying she feared it could overtop the nearby levee. 'They say that the river won't flood in New Orleans but we have a 5-year-old and a 10-month-old, and we don't want to take any chances.'

In the normally bustling French Quarter, popular with tourists, only a couple of tables were occupied at the coffee-and-beignet restaurant Café du Monde.

Kate Clayson of Northampton, England, and her boyfriend Maxx Lipman of Nashville, Tennessee, said they had arrived on Wednesday for a vacation but were planning to depart on Thursday.

'The woman at our Airbnb said the water came up to the first step of our house yesterday so we've just decided we'd better get out,' Clayson said.

Numerous officials urged residents to stay home, check that they have supplies for at least three days and make sure neighborhood storm drains are clear. 

Some residents and visitors prepared to flee New Orleans on Thursday as Tropical Storm Barry closed in and officials warned of 'extreme rain' and flooding. Patra Parker packs up her car to leave her home in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana on Thursday 

Justin Lorne, Sr, (left) helps his son Justin Lorne, Jr (right), pack up his truck to get out of his home in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, on Thursday 

Joe Miles (right) and Rey Varea (left) cut out drywall to prevent mold the day after severe weather flooded a home in the Broadmoor neighborhood in New Orleans

Matt Harrington boarded up a Vans shoe store near the French Quarter in New Orleans as Tropical Storm Barry approaches

A mandatory evacuation was issued at 6am Thursday morning for Plaquemines Parish in Louisiana. 

Parish spokeswoman Jade Duplessis said the evacuation order will impact approximately 8,000-10,000 people.  

After Hurricane Katrina, the Army Corps of Engineers began a multibillion-dollar hurricane-protection system that isn't yet complete. 

The work included repairs and improvements to some 350 miles of levees and more than 70 pump stations that are used to remove floodwaters. 

A spokesman for the Army Corps of Engineers said the agency was not expecting widespread overtopping of the levees, but there are concerns for areas south of the city. 

The Corps predicted that levees in Plaquemines Parish will be overtopped as the system pushes surge into lower-lying areas. 

All of the parish's east bank and part of its west bank are under mandatory evacuation orders.

The parish government has set up pickup points on both sides of the Mississippi River. From there, school buses will take people to a registration point and then to evacuation centers.

The slow-moving storm was located about 95 miles south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River, the center said

Storm clouds move towards New Orleans, Louisiana, from Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, on Thursday morning 

The Old Glory towing vessel appears taller than St Louis Cathedral in the French Quarter as the Mississippi River is currently above 16 feet, which is just below flood stage at 17 feet, in New Orleans on Thursday 

The Mississippi River river (pictured at 16 feet) levees protect to about 20 feet, which the river may reach if predicted storm surge prevents the river from flowing into the Gulf of Mexico

A massive waterspout formed over Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans on Wednesday morning

Duplessis says cats and dogs will be taken in separate vehicles and if owners don't have their own travel crates, the parish will provide them. Duplessis says officials hope everyone is out by Friday afternoon. 

The weather service expects the river to rise to 20 feet by Saturday morning at a key gauge in the New Orleans area, which is protected by levees 20 to 25 feet high.

The Corps was working with local officials down river to identify any low-lying areas and reinforce them, spokesman Ricky Boyett said. 

He cautioned that the situation may change as more information arrives.

'We're confident the levees themselves are in good shape. The big focus is height,' Boyett said.

The Mississippi River in New Orleans is forecast to crest at highest level since 1927 this weekend. 

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell (pictured) declared an emergency on Wednesday as well. She and other officials spoke at a news conference after storms swamped city streets and paralyzed traffic 

A mandatory evacuation was also issued for Grand Isle, the vulnerable barrier island community south of New Orleans.  

Mayor David Camardelle's order took effect at noon Thursday on Grand Isle, which is accessible only by boat or a single flood-prone state highway.

Other low-lying areas of coastal Louisiana including the towns of Lafitte, Crown Point and Barataria also came under evacuation orders Thursday.

The storm presents twin troubles for coastal Louisiana and Mississippi - the possibility that the flooded Mississippi River will be lapping at the tops of levees this weekend, and a danger of flash floods like the one that unexpectedly walloped New Orleans on Wednesday.

Officials from the Hurricane Center warned that the biggest danger in the days to come is not destructive winds, but ceaseless rain.

'The slow movement of this system will result in a long duration heavy rainfall threat along the central Gulf Coast and inland through the lower Mississippi Valley through the weekend and potentially into next week.'

The storm is set to deposit between 10 to 15 inches of rain on the Gulf Coast on Friday and Saturday from west Texas, through New Orleans and the Louisiana coast.  

Mississippi Gulf Coast residents are also preparing for heavy rain as the tropical storm system approaches. Coastal Mississippi is under a flood watch until Thursday night. 

Low-lying areas of coastal Louisiana including the towns of Lafitte (pictured), Crown Point and Barataria also came under evacuation orders Thursday

A forklift driver works to get sand bags ready for flood prevention ahead of the storm in Lafitte, Louisiana

St Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office inmate workers move free sandbags for residents in Chalmette, Louisiana, on Thursday ahead of Tropical Storm Barry

Workers at the Jean Lafitte, Barataria and Crown Point Emergency Command Center load sandbags onto trailers

Sandbags lined an area outside an emergency command center in Louisiana  

New Orleans' historic French Quarter (pictured) was significantly flooded by the storm along Royal Street

Harrison County Emergency Management Director Rupert Lacy said Wednesday that free sandbags are available in several places. He said residents can pick them up to protect their property.

Lacy said that such preparations are normal during hurricane season. He says, 'when you live in paradise, you have to expect some days like this'.

Harrison County is the largest of Mississippi's three coastal counties. It includes Biloxi and Gulfport.

To help its residents prepare for the rain, the city of Tallahassee has opened four sandbag distribution centers.

On Monday, Florida Gov Ron DeSantis urged Floridians to be prepared.

He says residents in north and central Florida should be ready for heavy rain and the potential for flooding in low-lying areas. 

Texas Gov Greg Abbott says officials are gearing up for the storm as well.

Abbott said at a Wednesday news conference that Texas has mobilized several departments ahead of the growing storm's expected landfall.

'It is impossible right now to know exactly how severe this storm will become and exactly where it will go,' Abbott said. 

'What we're looking at in Texas, from the highest level of probability, is a very meaningful rain event and hence a potential flooding event for various locations.'

Terrian Jones reacts as she feels something moving in the water at her feet as she carries Drew and Chance Furlough to their mother on Belfast Street in New Orleans

People cope with the aftermath of severe weather in the Broadmoor neighborhood in New Orleans on Wednesday 

David Fox makes a call from his business on Poydras Street in New Orleans after flooding in New Orleans on Wednesday

A man walks through standing water at the intersection at Franklin Avenue and I-610 in New Orleans

A woman walks along S. Carrollton Avenue in New Orleans where cars are parked on the neutral ground to keep from flooding caused by severe thunderstorms

The governor said the Texas Task Force 1 has been activated and have four high-water rescue boat squads ready. Nearly 700 Department of Public Safety officers are on standby for possible deployment. 

Forecasters said Louisiana could see up to 12 inches of rain by Monday, with isolated areas receiving as much as 20 inches. 

And the storm's surge at the mouth of the Mississippi could also mean a river that's been running high for months will rise even higher.

'The whole area is in for a soaking, the worst of it on Saturday,' said David Roth, a meteorologist from the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center. 

New Orleans got an early taste Wednesday of what may be in store. 

Despite the looming storm, there was one parade that wasn't rained on. New Orleans were making the most out of things following the storm on Wednesday by holding a parade (pictured) 

In the video, the procession is seen walking down a street as a brass band played music and others danced around them

A tornado may have been responsible for wind damage to one home, while floodwaters invaded some downtown hotels and businesses as streets became small rivers that accommodated kayakers. 

A water spout, a weather phenomenon that resembles a tornado, formed over Lake Pontchartrain near New Orleans, and the Weather Service issued a tornado warning. 

The floods paralyzed rush-hour traffic and stalled cars around the city. 

'I must have got to work about a quarter to 7,' said Donald Smith, who saw his restaurant on Basin Street flood for the third time this year. 'By 7:15, water was everywhere.'

It brought memories of a 2017 flash flood that exposed major problems - and led to major personnel changes - at the Sewerage and Water Board, which oversees street drainage.  

City officials said the pumping system that drains streets was at full capacity. But the immense amount of rain in three hours would overwhelm any system, said Sewerage and Water Board director Ghassan Korban. 

The storm is forecast to intensify into a hurricane as it approaches the Louisiana coast on Saturday

This is an animation of GOES-16 images showing its formation over the past couple of days

The National Weather Service predicts possible coastal inundation of 3 to 6 feet as well as strong winds that could lead to damage near the area where the storm makes landfall 

This graphic shows the areas that are more likely to be impacted by storm surge which could wash out roads in vulnerable low spots 

These areas, including New Orleans and Baton Rouge, may see seven to 15 inches of rain throughout the weekend 

Despite the looming storm, there was one parade that wasn't rained on. 

New Orleans were making the most out of things following the storm on Wednesday by holding a parade.

'It's #flooding in New Orleans and there is a second line parade going on,' a Twitter user shared on Wednesday. 'You can't take the spirit away from this city.'

In the video, the procession is seen walking down a street as a brass band played music and others danced around them. 

As the water from Wednesday morning's storms receded, people worried about what might come next.

Tanya Gulliver-Garcia was trying to make her way home during the deluge. Flooded streets turned a 15-minute drive into an ordeal lasting more than two hours.

'This is going to be a slow storm ... That's what I'm concerned about,' she said.

A truck passes by the University Medical Center (UMC) on Glavez Street in New Orleans after flooding from a storm Wednesday

Frank Conforto Jr walks in the parking lot of the University Medical Centeron Glavez Street in New Orleans after flooding from the storm

Flooding comes up the wheels of a parked car on Belfast Street near Eagle Street in New Orleans

A Regional Transport Authority bus waits out the rain at the intersection of Franklin Avenue and 610 in New Orleans where streets were flooded after a severe thunderstorm on Wednesday

An New Orleans Police Department cruiser blocks the underpass at S. Carrollton Avenue in New Orleans as severe thunderstorms caused street flooding on Wednesday

In this photo, a street in New Orleans is flooded by heavy rain, following Wednesday's storm 

Cars are seen partially submerged in flood waters at the intersection of Franklin Avenue and Interstate 610

US oil producers on Wednesday cut nearly a third of Gulf of Mexico crude output ahead of the storm. 

Fifteen production platforms and four rigs were evacuated in the north central Gulf of Mexico, according to a US regulator as oil firms moved workers to safety.

The slow moving storm, crawling at about 9mph early on Thursday and gaining strength from warm Gulf waters, will be named Barry if it strengthens into a tropical storm with winds of 39mph or more on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale.

It will become Hurricane Barry if it reaches wind speeds of 74mph as expected when it makes landfall near the mouth of the Mississippi River and just west of New Orleans.

The storm currently has winds of 30mph, the Hurricane Center said.

Carnival Cruise Line says it rerouted a cruise ship headed to New Orleans because of the potential tropical storm.

The Miami-based company says the more than 3,700-passenger Carnival Valor was sent to Mobile, Alabama, in the interest of safety. 

Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson tweeted a welcome to Valor passengers and a photo of the ship docked in Mobile on Thursday.

Carnival says arriving passengers will be taken from Mobile to New Orleans on complimentary buses.

The ship was supposed to depart Thursday from New Orleans on its next four-day cruise to Cozumel, Mexico. Instead, passengers will be taken to Mobile by bus from New Orleans.