Once-Mighty Hurricane Lili Fades to Tropical Storm
NEW
IBERIA, La. (Reuters) - Once-mighty Hurricane Lili weakened
into a tropical storm after blowing into Louisiana from the
Gulf of Mexico on Thursday and cutting a swath of
destruction through the heart of Cajun country.
The
storm, earlier in the day a ferocious Category 4 hurricane
with 145 mph winds, lost its punch before making landfall
and faded as it moved inland, but not before putting a dent
in the nation's energy supplies.
http://reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=sciencenews&StoryID=1532263
Less-Powerful
Lili Slams La. Coast
NEW ORLEANS, Oct. 3 – Hurricane Lili blasted the Louisiana coast today, far less powerful than forecasters had feared but still packing dangerous 100 mile per hour winds and heavy rain.
More than 100,000 Louisiana residents were without electricity, huge trees were downed, windows blown out and roofing ripped off all over the southern portion of the state. But Lili could have been much worse.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38247-2002Oct3.html
Hurricane Moves Inland From Low-Lying Louisiana Coast
ABBEVILLE, La., Oct. 3 — Hurricane Lili slammed ashore in Louisiana today brandishing 100-mile-per-hour winds that ripped trees straight out of the ground, tore apart mobile homes and caused power failures that officials feared could last up to a week.
It could have been worse, for the storm greatly weakened overnight, from a rare Category 4 hurricane to a Category 2 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 110 miles per hour. By 5 p.m. Eastern time, Lili had been downgraded to a tropical storm, bearing steady winds of no more than 50 m.p.h. The storm's center was reported near Alexandria, La., and moving north at 18 m.p.h., though gale force winds extended up to 60 miles to the north and east.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/03/national/03CND-STOR.html