At 5 PM EDT (2100Z), The National Hurricane Center issued a Hurricane Watch for the northern Gulf Coast from east of High Island, Texas eastward to the Alabama-Florida border, including the city of New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain. A Hurricane Watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area, generally within 36 hours. A Tropical Storm Watch has also been issued along the Florida Panhandle coast from east of the Alabama-Florida border eastward to the Ochlockonee River.