Woman in labor is stranded in floodwater after Tropical Storm Claudette ...

A massive storm crashed into the Gulf Coast late Friday into early Saturday, dropping up to 11 inches of rain in a short time and flooding streets - with police sweeping in for dramatic rescues of cars that were suddenly marooned. 

Tropical Storm Claudette is expected to thrash across the Southeastern U.S. throughout the weekend - carrying with it threats of flooding, rip currents and dangerous winds, according to the National Weather Service. 

Up to 15 inches of rain is possible in some parts of the region through Sunday, the Weather Service said.   

'The water came up so fast last night,' a Slidell Police Department spokesperson told NOLA.com. 'A lot of people were out on the road.' 

Calls from panicked drivers flooded the 911 center.   

A woman in labor was left stranded on her way to the hospital as police were forced to rescue 50 to 60 cars from Louisiana floods as the storm hit land. Houses also got flooded, though officials said it wasn't clear how many.  

The pregnant woman was heading to Slidell Memorial Hospital in Slidell, Louisiana, near New Orleans, possibly going into labor when she became trapped by flood water along the roadways, according to a Facebook post from the Slidell Police Department.

The woman was among multiple people authorities pulled from flooded cars along the city's major thoroughfare Friday night and into Saturday morning. 

No major injuries were reported but authorities urged people to exercise caution when driving through neighborhoods as floodwater, debris and downed trees were scattered around. 

Cars stranded on the flooded Gause Boulevard in Slidell, Louisiana, late Friday after Tropical Storm Claudette thrashed the Gulf Coast overnight Friday

Cars stranded on the flooded Gause Boulevard in Slidell, Louisiana, late Friday after Tropical Storm Claudette thrashed the Gulf Coast overnight Friday

A woman in labor was left stranded on her way to hospital as police were forced to rescue 50 cars from the Louisiana floods, according to the Slidell Police Department

A woman in labor was left stranded on her way to hospital as police were forced to rescue 50 cars from the Louisiana floods, according to the Slidell Police Department

A satellite image of Tropical Storm Claudette over the Gulf Coast Saturday morning

A satellite image of Tropical Storm Claudette over the Gulf Coast Saturday morning 

Heavy rain was dumped across coastal areas of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama as Claudette became both powerful and organized enough for the National Hurricane Center to declare it a named storm at 4 am Saturday morning.

Claudette dumped heavy rain inland Saturday, threatening flash floods and possibly tornadoes along its soggy course across the Southeast.

Parts of the Gulf Coast were under tropical storm warnings at 7am CT including Grand Isle and New Orleans, Louisiana, Biloxi in Mississippi, Mobile in Alabama and Destin, Florida. 

The storm's center of circulation came ashore southwest of New Orleans early Saturday. 

It was north of the city three hours later, with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (72 kph) as it plodded to the northeast at 12 mph (19 kph). 

The heaviest rains were far from the center, near the Mississippi-Alabama state line.

Tornado warnings were issued from the Mississippi coast to the western Florida panhandle. 

In Mobile County, Alabama, someone reported storm damage to a fishing pier on Dauphin Island, Alabama, according to Glen Brannan of the county Emergency Management Agency.  

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