REUTERS

NEW ORLEANS COASTAL areas of Mississippi were on alert on Wednesday afternoon as a line of heavy thunderstorms threatened to stall there after passing through Louisiana, which was bracing for flooding in the storm’s aftermath.

The storm system swept quickly through southeastern Louisiana, dumping less than two inches of rain on New Orleans, but leaving the likelihood of major flooding in western and west-central Louisiana.

Southern Mississippi residents “can expect quite a bit of heavy rain into the evening and overnight,” National Weather Service forecaster Robert Ricks said.

Highway 603 in Hancock County, Mississippi, was covered with water late on Wednesday afternoon, Ricks said.

A portion of Interstate 55 was closed for a short time because of winds that left downed trees and power lines on the road, he said.