As storms in the Gulf of Mexico go, Isaac isn’t particularly powerful—he peaked as a category 1 hurricane and was downgraded a few hours ago to a tropical storm. But as you may remember from Hurricane Katrina, the intensity of the storm isn’t always as important as it’s size, which affects how big the storm surge will be. And Isaac isn’t exactly small fry.
According to the U.S. Navy, wave heights are predicted to subside substantially in the next 24 hours and all but return to normal in 48 hours. The interactive map linked to above isn’t pretty, but it is informative.
The question is, will New Orleans new levee system hold long enough to ride out the storm?
(Thanks to Wayne Wagner.)