Isaac heads for the Gulf Coast

(CBS News) Some 15 million people along the Gulf Coast are bracing for Tropical Storm Isaac. The system could become a hurricane and make landfall as soon as Tuesday night.

Tropical Storm Isaac batters the Florida Keys

Hurricane warnings have been issued for areas from the southern Louisiana coast, including New Orleans, to the Florida panhandle. Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana have all declared a state of emergency. And officials in St. Charles Parish, just west of New Orleans, have ordered 53,000 residents to evacuate.

Florida is still experiencing heavy rain from the storm, as it grows in size and takes up most of the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Isaac's latest position was about 470 miles southeast of New Orleans, with winds at 65 mph and was moving west-northwest at 14 mph.

The expectation is that Isaac will continue toward the Mississippi Gulf Coast and southeast Louisiana, possibly making landfall late Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. If it takes that type of track, there is a high chance of significant wind impacts in those areas.