ATLANTA (CBS ATLANTA) -
Tropical Storm Isaac was upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane early Tuesday afternoon as it headed towards the Louisiana Gulf Coast.
The hurricane is expected to make landfall Tuesday evening or early Wednesday, and winds could strengthen to nearly 90 mph.
The strongest winds and heaviest rains will stay closer to the storm, well south and west of Atlanta.
Although Isaac's effects on the weather in metro Atlanta will be minimal, clouds and showers associated with Isaac's outer rain bands had already hit the area Tuesday morning.
Metro Atlanta will continue to see cloudy conditions and off-and-on rain through Thursday.
By Wednesday afternoon, the metro area could see between three quarters to to one-and-a-half inches of rain.
By late Thursday, rainfall totals could be anywhere between one to three inches. While storms are possible, the strongest storms and the biggest threat of severe weather should stay well south and west of the Atlanta area.
FORECAST:
Tuesday morning: Scattered showers. Cloudy. Winds: East at 5-15 mph.
Tuesday afternoon: Showers and storms. Cloudy. High 84. Winds: East at 10-20 mph.
Tuesday evening: Showers and storms. Cloudy. Low: 70-75. Winds: East at 5-15mph.
Wednesday: Showers and storms. Cloudy. High: 84
Thursday: Showers and storms. Cloudy. High: 85
Friday: An Isolated shower or storm. Partly Cloudy. High: 86.
CBS Atlanta News' Severe Weather Meteorologist Cris Martinez is tracking the storm in Biloxi, MS. Follow him on Twitter at @crisatlweather and get the latest updates on CBSAtlanta.com.
Copyright 2012 WGCL-TV (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
