As of 7am this morning, Hurricane Laura was a category 3 storm in the northwest Gulf of Mexico with sustained winds of 120 mph. However, forecasters are now predicting that shortly before it hits the Texas-Louisiana border shortly after midnight Thursday that winds will reach 130 mph, making it the most powerful storm to hit Louisiana since Hurricane Rita.
While winds will be very dangerous, the greatest threat is the storm surge. Much of the low-lying coast along west Louisiana and east Texas is only several feet above sea level. Surges are forecast to reach a maximum of 10-15 feet within 50 miles of landfall, and several feet from east Galveston to Grand Isle. The National Hurricane Center is expecting storm surge to possibly penetrate up to 30 miles inland from the coast in southwest Louisiana and far southeast Texas. Residents of coastal areas are strongly advised to move inland and seek shelter.
Laura will move quickly north and into Arkansas, then east towards North Carolina. While wind speeds will quickly decline, the remnant of Laura will bring widespread flooding and possibly tornados across it’s entire path. Flash flood warnings have been issued for parts of Arkansas on Friday.
