Hurricane Isaac continued on its path of devastation on Wednesday, moving at an extremely slow speed and bringing heavy rainfall and strong storm surges in and around the Gulf Coast region, New Orleans and the southeast of Louisiana. 

At roughly 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Isaac was 40 miles south of New Orleans, but had severely decreased in speed, moving at a crawl at only 6 mph, causing extended periods of downpours for the region along with sustained wind speeds of up to 80 mph. By the afternoon Hurricane Isaac had decresed in power, becoming a tropical storm once again, but the heavy rainfall and strong winds did not let up.

Severe storm surges have also occurred across the respective areas, with experts predicting that some areas could see surges of up to 16 feet.

Isaac continued heading inland throughout Wednesday, and is predicted to take a more northerly and finally a northeastern path in the coming days.  However, the New Orleans vicinity and its surrounding areas will get the brunt of the bad weather due to Isaac's slower movement. 

By early Thursday, the Louisiana region is expected to be hit with most of the storm's rainfall and strong winds.

Although Isaac made landfall as only a category 1 hurricane its various traits are allowing it to cause more extensive problems than most hurricanes of a similar strength.

CLICK HERE to view the Hurricane Isaac tracker.

CLICK HERE to view up-to-date photos of Hurricane Isaac's extensive damage.

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