Tropical Storm Lee weakened to a tropical depression as it neared Mississippi on Sunday, and New Orleans’ flood defenses held up under one of their biggest tests since Hurricane Katrina devastated the city in 2005. The National Hurricane Center said the remnants of Lee were 55 miles (90 km) west-southwest of McComb, Mississippi, with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph (55 kph) around 11 p.m. EDT (0300 GMT on Monday).
The storm was moving east-northeast at 7 mph (11 kph). The storm has temporarily shut over 60 percent of offshore oil production. Even as a tropical depression, the storm remains a rainmaker, carrying the potential to dump up to 10 inches (25 cm) of rain over the Tennessee Valley and southern Appalachian Mountains, forecasters said.