Katrina slowing down
2005-09-02 13:27
Miami - Hurricane Katrina weakened to a category one storm on the five-level Saffir-Simpson hurricane intensity scale after passing New Orleans on Monday and pushing inland, the US national hurricane centre said.
As of 19:00 GMT, storm winds had dropped to a maximum sustained level of nearly 155km/h, the Miami-based NHC said in an update.
Katrina was moving slowly north at about 30km/h and was expected to reach central parts of Mississippi state later on Monday, the NHC said.
Tornado warnings were issued for parts of Mississippi and the states of Alabama and Florida.
The storm hit land in Louisiana early on Monday with winds up to 240km/h.
Parts of New Orleans were left under 1.8m of water, but the low-lying city was spared a potentially devastating direct hit.
- AFP