Gustav roared into the oil-rich Gulf of Mexico as a ferocious Category 4 hurricane Sunday after destroying homes and roads in Cuba. The mayor of New Orleans ordered residents to flee the "storm of the century" by morning.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Gustav weakened slightly over Cuba but was expected to regain strength as it moves over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico and toward the U.S. Coast, possibly becoming a top-scale Category 5 hurricane on Sunday.Forecasters said Gustav was just short of Category 5 strength when it made landfall Saturday on mainland Cuba near the community of Los Palacios in Pinar del Rio — a region that produces much of the tobacco used to make the nation's famed cigars.
The eye of the storm was about 375 miles southeast of the Mississippi River and moving northwest at about 16 mph at 7 a.m. Miami time, the National Hurricane Center said. "Gustav is forecast to remain a major hurricane until landfall," the center said.
A Hurricane warning has been issued for the area between Cameron, Louisiana and the Alabama-Florida border. A Tropical Storm Warning is in place from east of the Alabama-Florida border to the Ochlockonee River and from West of Cameron, Louisiana, to just east of High Island, Texas.
Video: Gulf Coast prepares as Gustav slams Cuba
Rainfall of 6 to 12 inches is forecast over areas of Louisiana, southern Mississippi and southern Arkansas, with up to 20 inches possible in some areas through Wednesday morning. Sphere: Related Content
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