Hurricane Laura Forms, Forecast To Hit Gulf Coast As A Major Hurricane : NPR

Hurricane Laura formed early Tuesday morning, as the storm’s center crossed into the Gulf of Mexico. Laura is forecast to make landfall along the Gulf Coast as a Category 3 storm.

NOAA/NESDIS/STAR GOES-East

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NOAA/NESDIS/STAR GOES-East

Hurricane Laura formed early Tuesday morning, as the storm’s center crossed into the Gulf of Mexico. Laura is forecast to make landfall along the Gulf Coast as a Category 3 storm.

NOAA/NESDIS/STAR GOES-East

Updated at 10:40 a.m. ET

Hurricane Laura will make landfall as a major hurricane, with winds of around 115 mph and a storm surge up to 11 feet, when it strikes near the Louisiana-Texas border late Wednesday or early Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Laura was declared a hurricane Tuesday morning, when a NOAA hurricane hunter aircraft detected maximum sustained winds of 75 mph as the storm’s center was crossing into the Gulf of Mexico. It’s expected to draw more power from the gulf’s warm waters.

“Significant strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours,” NHC forecaster Eric Blake said in his morning advisory.

A hurricane watch is now in effect from San Luis Pass, Texas, to west of Morgan City, La. Such alerts normally go out roughly 48 hours before tropical-storm-force winds could arrive.

The storm is moving west-northwest at nearly 17 mph – and forecasters say its long westward trip across the Gulf will give it time to strengthen.

When the storm arrives, the affected area could be large: Laura is projecting tropical storm-force winds for 175 miles from its center, and it will bring huge amounts of rain to inland areas.

Hurricane Laura will gain strength as it crosses the Gulf of Mexico and will be a major hurricane when it makes landfall — likely near the Texas-Louisiana border, forecasters say.

National Weather Service

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National Weather Service

Hurricane Laura will gain strength as it crosses the Gulf of Mexico and will be a major hurricane when it makes landfall — likely near the Texas-Louisiana border, forecasters say.

National Weather Service

“There is a risk of life-threatening storm surge from San Luis Pass, Texas, to Ocean Springs, Mississippi, within the next 48 hours,” the NHC says, describing a a storm surge watch that is now in effect.

Category 3 storms like Laura is expected to become routinely cause “devastating damage” to homes, trees and infrastructure, according to the National Weather Service. Recent Category 3 storms include Harvey, which hit Texas in 2017, and Rita, which hit Louisiana in 2005.

People in the storm’s path, some of whom have already seen heavy rain from Tropical Storm Marco, are preparing for Laura’s arrival. To the relief of many people along the gulf shore, Marco fizzled out as it reached Louisiana’s coastline. But that storm, which spent less than a day as a hurricane, was far smaller and less powerful than Laura.

“We’re at halftime right now,” said New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness director Colin Arnold, according to member station WWNO. “It was kind of an uneventful first half, thankfully. We’re all happy about that. But we still have a third and fourth quarter to go in this. And that’s Laura. And that’s Wednesday.”

The Texas town of Port Arthur — home to the largest oil refinery in North America — is currently in the middle of Laura’s projected path. Its home county, Jefferson, enacted a mandatory evacuation order on Tuesday, with exemptions for essential workers at the refinery and elsewhere.

“Please take extra precautions to pack up your home and family and finalize your plans,” the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office told residents.

The governors of Texas and Louisiana have declared states of emergencies due to the looming storm; both also say their requests for President Trump to grant a federal emergency declaration have been approved.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has also ordered “more than 70 members with the Texas Army, Air National Guards, and Texas State Guard” to position themselves in areas where they can respond to emergencies when needed. The order also puts UH-60 Blackhawk and UH-72 Lakota helicopter crews on alert.

As they…