Lee lurches ashore in South
Updated: 9:13 a.m. ET
JEAN LAFITTE, La. -- The center of Tropical Storm Lee lurched across Louisiana's Gulf Coast early Sunday, dumping torrential rains that threatened flooding in low-lying communities in a foreshadowing of what cities further inland could face in coming days.
At 5 a.m. EDT, Lee had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. It says Lee is crawling to the north at 2 mph. Forecasters say a slow northeastward motion is expected as it treks across southern Louisiana.
Lee is forecast to dump 10 to 15 inches of rain in many areas in the coming days, and up to 20 inches in scattered spots.
The sluggish storm stalled just offshore for several hours Saturday before meandering to the north and west in the evening.
No injuries were reported, but there were scattered instances of water entering low-lying homes and businesses in Louisiana. Thousands were without power.
Coffers were suffering at many coastal businesses that depend on a strong end-of-summer weekend. Alabama beaches that would normally be packed were largely empty, and rough seas closed the Port of Mobile. Mississippi's coastal casinos, however, were open and reporting brisk business.
Water rises in New Orleans again
Lee strengthens as it drenches Gulf Coast
Video: Floods threaten La.
In New Orleans, sporadic downpours caused some street flooding in low-lying areas early Saturday, but pumps were sucking up the water and sending it into Lake Pontchartrain. Lee's surge so far had not penetrated levees along the coast, National Weather Service forecaster Robert Ricks said.
The storm was denting offshore energy production. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement said 237 oil and gas production platforms and 23 drilling rigs have been evacuated by Lee. The agency estimates that about 60 percent of the current oil production in the Gulf and almost 55 percent of the natural gas production has been shut in.
In Alabama, rough seas forced the closure of the Port of Mobile. Pockets of heavy rain pounded the beaches Saturday, and strong winds whipped up the surf and bowed palm trees. But just a couple miles (kilometers) inland, wind and rain dropped significantly.
CBS News complete coverage: Hurricane Irene
Special Section: Hurricane Irene Videos
Elsewhere, the National Hurricane Center says Katia has regained hurricane status in the open Atlantic.
Hurricane specialist Robbie Berg said Sunday that Katia has cycled on and off between tropical storm and hurricane status. He says the storm strengthened recently and now has maximum sustained winds of about 75 mph (121 kph), the lowest-level Category 1 storm.
At 5 a.m. EDT Sunday, Katia's center was about 370 miles (600 km) northeast of the Northern Leeward Islands and it was moving 12 mph (19 kph) to the northwest.
Berg says Katia poses no threat to land over the next 48 hours, but he urged those on the East Coast and in Bermuda to keep an eye on it.