Hurricane Katrina slams Louisiana coast

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Louisiana coast on Monday with 140 mile per hour (224 kph) winds as the powerful storm came ashore from the Gulf of Mexico and took aim at low-lying New Orleans.

The coast, much of it lightly populated swamps, was being pounded with high winds and heavy rains while New Orleans, 55 miles northeast, braced for the worst of Katrina.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said the storm, now Category 4 on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, was not quite the monster it had been in the open Gulf, but still packed a powerful punch. It had been a Category 5 with 175 mile per hour (280 kph) winds.

Hurricane closes in on New Orleans