The latest severe storm causing problems for the eastern United States is dumping torrential rains on the Gulf coast states of Louisiana and Mississippi.

Tropical Storm Lee made landfall near the city of New Orleans on Sunday, flooding streets and recalling the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina six years ago.

The Louisiana city is under flash flood warnings. Elsewhere, evacuation orders have been issued for low-lying areas.

Before coming ashore, the slow-moving storm pounded other Gulf of Mexico communities with heavy rains.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Lee could dump up to 50 centimeters of rain over several states as it moves northward into the Tennessee valley.

It has been just one week since Hurricane Irene caused devastation along the U.S. east coast, killing more than 40 people and causing billions of dollars in damage in states stretching from North Carolina to Vermont.

On Sunday, U.S. President Barack Obama got a firsthand look at some of that damage. He traveled to hard-hit New Jersey, touring the state's third-largest city, Paterson, which was inundated by Irene's torrential rains.

Another storm, Katia, is out in the Atlantic Ocean and heading northwest, but is not currently a threat to any land area.

The month of September is considered the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season, which has already seen 12 named storms.