Louisiana governor says storm named Barry is 'going to be a tough one'

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Louisiana governor concerned Gulf Coast residents are underestimating Barry

Gov. John Bel Edwards warns Barry will be a rain event, urges residents to listen to local officials.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards voiced concerns Friday on "The Story with Martha MacCallum" that residents would not take Tropical Storm Barry seriously, even though it is expected to become a full-blown hurricane by the time it hits the Louisiana coast on Saturday morning.

"My biggest concern is that we will have citizens who understand that it's a Category 1 and they may not take it as seriously as they should have. Because this is has always been a rain event predominantly," Edwards said.

"And we're going to have 15 to 20 inches of rain across most of southern Louisiana for about 24 hours."

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Tropical Storm Barry is bringing flooding and rainfall, threatening cities like New Orleans and unsettling government officials.

Barry is forecast to dump 10 to 20 inches of rain on New Orleans through Sunday. Some isolated areas could see as much as 25 inches.

Edwards advised residents to "take every precaution, to be patient," and to listen to their local elected officials.

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The governor also told MacCallum that he expected Barry to be "a tough one," noting that even after the rains stop, river swelling may cause problems for residents and officials.

"I worry an awful lot about the rain as it falls, not as it relates to the Mississippi River but all the other rivers that we have across south Louisiana," Edwards said.

Fox News' Madeline Farber contributed to this report.