Local officials are urging residents to prepare as Hurricane Laura is expected to become a “major” hurricane before making landfall either late Wednesday or early Thursday morning.
The storm, which a NOAA Hurricane Hunter reported strengthened into a hurricane on Tuesday, is intensifying over the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Just hours ago, Tropical Storm Marco made landfall near the mouth of the Mississippi River. It is no longer considered a tropical storm by the National Hurricane Center but still had sustained winds of 35 miles per hour as of late Tuesday morning.
By the time Laura reaches land, the storm could be a Category 3 hurricane. The system has already killed at least 13 people after making its way through Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Forecasters have noted this is likely to be the gulf’s most intense storm since 2005’s Hurricane Rita, which left widespread devastation in its wake.
Hurricane #Laura is expected to strengthen into a major hurricane before it reaches the northwest Gulf coast on Wednesday night. Hurricane and Storm Surge Warnings have been issued for portions of the Upper Texas and Louisiana coastlines. Latest at: https://t.co/tW4KeFW0gB pic.twitter.com/uQUe2Zxopx
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) August 25, 2020
A Hurricane Watch has been issued from San Luis Pass, Texas, to the west of Morgan City, Louisiana, meaning winds are expected to be greater than 74 miles per hour. A Tropical Storm Watch has been issued further inland, where winds are expected to be greater than 40 miles per hour.
A large swath of the Gulf Coast should expect storm surges. Areas between High Island, Texas, and Morgan City, could face waters 7 to 11 feet above ground level.
Officials are urging residents along the upper Texas and southwest Louisiana coasts to prepare immediately for a hurricane strike.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott declared a state of disaster for 23 counties on Sunday.
Louisiana Gov. John Edwards declared a state of emergency on Friday and also reminded residents that the coronavirus pandemic would not come to a halt because of the weather conditions. “It should not be lost on any Louisianan that in addition to twin tropical weather threats, we still have to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said in a statement. “It is critical that you include relevant supplies, including face masks and hand sanitizer, in your emergency kits. COVID-19 does not become less of a threat because of tropical weather,” he said.
Hundreds of thousands of residents in the two states have been ordered to evacuate as the storm approaches.
“Users are again reminded to not focus on the exact details of the track or intensity forecasts as the average NHC track error at 72 hours is around 100 miles and the average intensity error is around 15 mph,” the National Hurricane Center said early Tuesday morning.
