HOUSTON, July 12 (Xinhua) -- Tropical Storm Barry is forecast to make landfall Saturday morning along the central Louisiana coast as a hurricane.

Matt Harrington boards up a Vans shoe store near the French Quarter in New Orleans as tropical storm Barry approaches on July 11, 2019. (Photo: VCG)

According to US National Hurricane Center, Barry is expected to strengthen to be Category 1 hurricane before reaching the south-central coast of US state of Louisiana, bringing dangerous storm surge and heavy rains across the north-central Gulf Coast.