and hurricane warnings extending across 280 miles across the gulf coast, why is the path especially ominous to new orleans? >> well, when you look at storm surge here, and we are expecting isaac to take a track that moves to the south and southwest of new orleans, that would bring the wind in from the east. that would pile up walter in the lake, that combined with rainfall, a six to nine-foot storm surge on top of a foot, maybe 20 inches locally of freshwater flooding, freshwater rainfall here. this will certainly be the first time since katrina that the levees have really been tested and the army corps of engineers said they will likely hold here. i'm not an engineer, but again, the first time they'll be tested. >> you are not an engineer, but a fine meteorologist. jim dickey, reporting live from accu-weather. thank you for the report, jim. let's take a look at the rest of the weather around the nation. morning showers, boston, d.c. thunderstorms in the carolinas. showers across central texas. afternoon storms in the desert southwest. >> 90s in the rockies. sizzling 107 in phoenix. 70s in the pacific north west. 80s from the middle of the country into the east coast.