There were no major changes for Tropical Storm Barry Friday as of the 4 p.m. advisory from the National Hurricane Center.
Maximum winds remained 65 miles per hour, with a slight increase in west-northwest movement at 6 miles per hour.
"Strengthening is forecast before landfall, and Barry is expected to be a hurricane when the center reaches the Louisiana coast on Saturday. Weakening is expected after Barry moves inland," said a forecaster from the NHC, adding that tropical-storm force winds extend up to 175 miles from the center.
Heavy rains and storm surge remain the biggest threats from Barry to Louisiana.