The storm rapidly intensified overnight Wednesday, and is expected to grow stronger prior to making landfall along the Texas-Louisiana border early Thursday morning.
A crew from the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron Hurricane Hunters flew into Tropical Storm Laura on Aug. 24.
Here are the most important things you need to know and the latest updates, listed in eastern time, about Marco and Laura.
Laura has officially strengthened into the first major hurricane of the 2020 Atlantic season as the system has reached maximum sustained winds of 115 mph, putting Laura at Category 3 strength. As of 7 a.m., CDT, the National Hurricane Center had the storm located less than 300 miles southeast of the Texas-Lousiana border as it moves northwest at 15 mph.
People as well as thousands of animals are being evacuated to higher ground in southwestern Louisiana ahead of Hurricane Laura. “We went through Rita and we lost a bunch and I think everyone in the lower cameron perish learned a lesson. We lost a lot of cattle,” Rancher Cody Sibille said. Sibille’s house was destroyed by the storm. Memories from Hurricane Rita 15 years ago taught some residents in Southwestern Louisiana to never underestimate a hurricane. “I think everybody is leaving. No body is going to stay. Nobody wants to take a chance after Rita destroyed this place once before,” Louisiana resident Carrol Dohon.
AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski noted the size of Hurricane Laura, which is currently possessing a diameter of 150 nautical miles or 173 statute miles, puts the storm on the smaller side, currently. He added that Laura currently has a radius of maximum winds of 30 miles and the diameter of the eye is likely between 15 and 20 miles in diameter.
According to Kottlowski, 300 miles is an accepted average diameter of a hurricane, which is determined by the last closed isobar around the storm.
Laura seen on satellite early Wednesday morning. The storm's eye is becoming more notable. (Image/CIRA RAMMB)
The most recent recordings from the National Hurricane Center indicate that Hurricane Laura is whipping up maximum sustained winds of 110 mph, just on the cusp of reaching Category 3 strength, which is 111 mph and stronger. As of the 4 a.m., CDT, the center of the storm is located in the center of the Gulf of Mexico and moving northwest at 15 mph.
As of early Wednesday morning, Laura has intensified to a Category 2 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph. The hurricane is expected to continue gaining strength throughout the day Wednesday.
AccuWeather Founder and CEO Joel Myers said the economic damages from Hurricane Laura could total between $25 billion and $30 billion. Laura is forecast to come ashore as a Category 3 hurricane near the Texas and Louisiana border. Precisely where Laura makes landfall will have a pivotal effect on the economic toll it takes. Myers said the economic fallout could be greater if the storm tracks farther to the west toward the Houston metropolitan area.
With less than 48 hours until Laura is expected to make landfall, people in the path of the strengthening storm are relocating to safety rather than attempting to ride out the hurricane. “Families that have to rely on school buses to evacuate must go through a medical screening and wear these face masks because of the COVID-19 pandemic,” AccuWeather Reporter Bill Wadell said while in Port Arthur, Texas, on Tuesday. One resident told Wadell that she was a little hesitant to go to a shelter where they would be around others, but she wanted to make sure that her family was safe and will practice social distancing to avoid getting sick. Click here to see Wadell’s interview with residents and the mayor of Port Arthur.
NOAA Hurricane Hunters took a photo in the center of Hurricane Laura, showing the eye of the storm during a mission on Tuesday. Although some gusty showers and thunderstorms on the outer periphery of the storm reached the Florida Keys on Monday night, with wind gusts of 40-50 mph, the brunt of Laura's wrath is set to charge toward parts of the central and northwestern U.S. Gulf Coast.
The center of Hurricane Laura seen from NOAA WP-3D Orion N42RF Kermit on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020. (Image/NOAA/Nick Underwood)
With evacuations underway, the Harris County Toll Road Authority announced Tuesday morning it has waived fees immediately. Fees will remain waived to accommodate activities associated with the response and recovery in the region, such as evacuations, Judge Lina Hidalgo ordered at 9:20 a.m. on Tuesday. Officials will implement contraflow on I-10 as a last resort for evacuations. "We want to make sure that we provide easy access for people who may be traveling throughout areas," Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said in a press conference on Monday, according to The Houston Chronicle. The City of Galveston issued a mandatory evacuation order Tuesday morning. Several areas still have voluntary evacuations, but officials said that can change depending on further storm updates.
People in Houston are being told to finish preparations before Hurricane Laura begins to move into southeastern Texas. “This is a serious event and we should treat it as such,” Mayor Sylvester Turner said on Tuesday afternoon. “I am asking Houstonians to be off the road by 8 p.m. tomorrow if not sooner. You should be where you are at that time.” Currently, the worst of Laura is projected to focus east of Houston, but if the hurricane tracks a bit farther west, then Houston would take a harder hit. “Please make sure your hurricane preparedness kits are stocked with the essential items you need including masks, hand sanitizers, and medicine,” Turner added. “Also, please make sure to check and pick up items around your house that could become projectiles in the wind.”
One of the biggest dangers with Hurricane Laura for residents that live near the Gulf Coast is the life-threatening storm surge. “The surge could be as high as 9-13 ft above ground level along the southwestern Louisiana and far southeastern Texas coasts and could penetrate as far inland as 30 miles,” the National Hurricane Center said. People that live near the coast should listen to evacuation orders when they are given and leave before the storm arrives. Once the storm surge begins, roads may become inundated and remain underwater until after Laura passes. “Actions to protect life and property should be rushed to completion this evening, as water levels will begin to rise on Wednesday," the National Weather Service added.
Satellite imagery showed Hurricane Laura starting to form an eye over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday afternoon, which is a sign of an intensifying storm. Winds have increased to 80 mph, the beginning of rapid intensification. When Laura makes landfall later Wednesday night, it could be a Category 3 hurricane.
Hurricane Laura beings to develop an eye, as seen in this satellite loop. (NOAA/GOES-East)
Over 385,000 residents from Texas have been ordered to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Laura as forecasters expect the storm to reach Category 3 strength before slamming into land near the Texas-Louisiana border. According to The Associated Press, most of those evacuees came from the areas of Beaumont, Galveston and Port Arthur. On Tuesday morning, local time, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo granted free passage to motorists on the Harris County tollway system in order to encourage speedier evacuations along the Gulf Coast from majorly populated areas such as Houston. Another 200,000 are being told to evacuate low-lying areas of Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, The AP said.
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station looked down at the Earth early Tuesday afternoon to see Hurricane Laura churning 250 miles below. The space station did not pass directly over the center of the hurricane, but it was close enough to get a good look at Laura, which is currently a Category 1 storm. The photo below was taken by one of the exterior cameras on the International Space Station.
Hurricane Laura was spotted by the International Space Station early Tuesday afternoon as it flew over the Gulf of Mexico. (NASA)
Hurricane Laura was photographed by astronauts aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday afternoon. (NASA/Chris Cassidy)
As Hurricane Laura has moved over the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico, it's strengthened and is becoming a better-organized system. This is evident on the below satellite loop, which shows the storm's progression from 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday through 1:10 p.m. Weather watchers can track Laura's progress at home using AccuWeather's satellite product to see real-time updates on the storm's position and movement. As of 2 p.m. eastern time, Laura was still packing 75-mph sustained winds and moving west-northwest across the Gulf at 16 mph.
A satellite loop showing Hurricane Laura at category 1 strength around mid-day on August 25, 2020. (NOAA / AccuWeather)
Water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico are as high as 87 degrees in some places. What does that mean for Hurricane Laura? Plenty of fuel for strengthening, as AccuWeather Chief Broadcast Meteorologist Bernie Rayno explains below. He also details why Laura won't meet the same fate Marco, which fizzled, met. Watch:
AccuWeather meteorologists are anticipating Hurricane Laura to enter very warm waters and meet favorable strengthening conditions over the rest of today, including plenty of most, unstable air. Those conditions should help Laura intensify into a major hurricane on Wednesday before it takes a northerly turn on Wednesday night. “Based on this we are projecting Laura to make landfall near the Texas-Louisiana border Wednesday night or early Thursday morning as a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph,” AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski said. “Once the storm makes landfall our forecast shows the storm moving northward through Thursday morning then turning gradually to the northeast Thursday afternoon through Friday.”
Even though Laura is still over a day away from making landfall and moving inland over the southern United States, AccuWeather meteorologists expect the storm to make a significant impact in areas farther away from the coast. Flooding rain, damaging winds and tornadoes will be some of the primary impacts from the storm. The storm is expected to remain at tropical storm strength as far north as Arkansas. Forecasters are particularly worried about the tornado danger that Laura could produce. "The high risk area for tornadoes will be to the right side of the system as it moves inland from Louisiana to eastern Arkansas, western Mississippi and perhaps western Tennessee through Friday," AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski said.
According to the National Hurricane Center’s most recent advisory on Hurricane Laura, the storm system has maintained its maximum sustained wind speed of 75 mph as it continues moving across the southeastern Gulf of Mexico. As it continues to move closer to land, storm surge warnings have been enacted in areas from the Texas coast to the mouth of the Mississippi River. Laura is moving west-northwest at 16 mph and is expected to approach land by the Texas-Louisiana border on Wednesday night.
Residents in Houston haven’t been told they have to evacuate just yet, but officials are telling them to get ready. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo didn’t mince her words in a press conference on Monday, urging citizens to make their preparations now and not overlook any details in their plans, particularly regarding COVID-19 safety precautions in the likelihood of evacuations or extended power outages. "This is not Harvey, this is not Imelda, this is not Allison. This is Laura," Hidalgo said, according to ABC13. "Every storm is different, and we urge folks not to use any prior storm as a template for what or will happen. What we need to do is prepare for the worst."
Thurman Bartie, the mayor of Port Arthur, Texas, ordered the more than 54,000 residents of the city to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Laura. In addition to the usual evacuation protocols, Bartie's order included requirements related to the coronavirus pandemic, including mandating that evacuees all wear face coverings and any citizens that need help with transportation out of the expected storm zone undergo temperature checks. Bartie did not mince words when discussing the threat posed by the approaching storm and the risk people who ignore the evacuation order might be taking. "If you decide to stay, you're staying on your own," Bartie said, according to NBC2 in Houston. Laura is expected to make landfall as a Category 3 storm near the Texas-Louisiana border. AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Wadell was in Port Arthur, which is on the western side of Sabine Lake about 90 miles east of Houston, on Tuesday morning, and captured video of school buses lined up and waiting to escort residents out of harm's way.
On the AccuWeather RealImpact Scale for Hurricanes, Hurricane Laura is rated a 3 on the 1 to 5 scale. The scale is a new method the company introduced in 2019 to better assess the overall potential damage a storm could cause than the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, which only factors in wind impacts. The scale is designed to communicate a more comprehensive representation of a storm's potential impact on lives and livelihoods.
Residents in Holly Beach, Louisiana, are preparing for Hurricane Laura by stocking up on boards for windows, gassing up vehicles and gathering essentials. Laura is expected to impact the area just a couple weeks before the 15-year anniversary of Hurricane Rita’s devastation in the same community. On Monday, the Office of Emergency Preparedness in Cameron Parish issued mandatory evacuations for Holly Beach and surrounding areas, according to KLFY.com.
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