Hurricane Laura came ashore last night near the town of Cameron in southwestern Louisiana initially estimated as a category 4 storm. It has pushed northward today into upstate Louisiana and has weakened along the way to a category 1 hurricane; however, it is still producing heavy rainfall and damaging wind gusts and will continue to do so into the state of Arkansas and parts of the Tennessee Valley. By the weekend, the remains of Hurricane Laura will interact with an incoming frontal system and upper-level trough to produce some heavy rainfall in the Mid-Atlantic region along with the potential for strong-to-severe thunderstorms. All of this activity will clear the east coast by Sunday and a spectacular air mass for late August will push into the Great Lakes, Northeast US and the Mid-Atlantic region.
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Major Hurricane Laura made landfall late last night and its story line is not over yet. The remains of Hurricane Laura will push northward today into the south-central states producing heavy rainfall, severe weather, and damaging wind gusts. By the early part of the weekend, the remains of Hurricane Laura will turn to the east and get intertwined with a frontal system and an incoming vigorous upper-level trough to potentially produce some heavy rainfall in portions of the Mid-Atlantic region. Once off the Mid-Atlantic coast, the remnants of Hurricane Laura could actually re-intensify as it moves out over the warm waters of the western Atlantic.
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Hurricane Laura has reached “major” hurricane status as a category 3 storm and it should intensify into a category 4 system this afternoon as it heads on a collision course with the Texas/Louisiana border region and expected landfall later tonight. Hurricane Laura intensified rapidly during the past 24 hours in a favorable environment of low wind shear and very warm sea surface temperatures and continues to intensify today - now just a bit under the required levels for a category 4 classification. After Hurricane Laura makes landfall later tonight, its story line will not be over. Its remains will push northward into the south-central states on Thursday producing heavy rainfall, severe weather, and damaging wind gusts. By the early part of the weekend, the remains of Hurricane Laura will turn to the east and get intertwined with a frontal system and an incoming vigorous upper-level trough to potentially produce some heavy rainfall in portions of the Mid-Atlantic region. Once off the Mid-Atlantic coast, the remnants of Hurricane Laura could actually re-intensify as it moves out over the warm waters of the western Atlantic.
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Hurricane Laura continues to churn over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico and it could become a “major” hurricane before making landfall later tonight likely somewhere along the upper coastline of Texas. The combination of weak wind shear and very high sea surface temperatures will contribute to additional intensification as Hurricane Laura pushes towards the western Gulf coastal region.
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Hurricane Laura could become a “major” hurricane before making landfall late Wednesday night or early Thursday likely somewhere near the Texas/Louisiana border. Hurricane Laura has cleared the island of Cuba and is now pushing over the very warm waters of the southwestern Gulf of Mexico. The combination of weak wind shear and very high sea surface temperatures will contribute to rapid intensification over the next 24-36 hours. After Hurricane Laura makes landfall in the western Gulf coastal region, its story line will not be over. Its remains will push northward into the south-central states and result in heavy rainfall and potential severe weather and then the remnants may turn to the east, interact with a frontal system, and potentially produce heavy rainfall and severe weather in the Mid-Atlantic region early in the upcoming weekend.
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Tropical Storm Laura is a growing threat for the coastline region of Texas and Louisiana with a possible landfall late Wednesday night. Tropical Storm Laura is very likely to intensify into hurricane status once out over the open warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico and it could become a “major” hurricane (i.e., category 3 or higher) before landfall - perhaps near the TX/LA border. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Marco has weakened considerably as it drifts westward over central Gulf coastal region.
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Tropical Storm Laura is a growing threat for the coastline region of Texas and Louisiana with a possible landfall late Wednesday. Tropical Storm Laura is very likely to intensify into hurricane status once out over the open warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico and it could become a “major” hurricane (i.e., category 3 or higher). Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Marco has weakened as it nears the central Gulf coastal region due to wind shear in its vicinity. The low-level circulation center of Tropical Storm Marco has been displaced from the main area of convection (thunderstorms) and it will tend to dissipate over the next few days.
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Tropical Storm Marco is undergoing weakening as it approaches the central Gulf coastal region due to wind shear in the mid and upper levels of the atmosphere. The wind shear is being generated in an area that is between an upper-level trough to the west and an upper-level ridge to the east. There is little chance that Marco intensifies from this point on and it should actually fall apart over the next few days. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Laura is moving along the southern part of Cuba and it will enter the Gulf of Mexico by early tomorrow and likely intensify into hurricane status as it rides over the very warm waters. Tropical Storm Laura is then likely to heads towards the border region of Texas and Louisiana with a possible landfall as a hurricane on Wednesday night or Thursday.
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The very active 2020 Atlantic Basin tropical season continues and there is likely to a “double-strike” of tropical storms on the central/eastern Gulf of Mexico by the middle of the week. Tropical Storm Marco is now out over the open waters of the very warm Gulf of Mexico and is likely headed towards a landfall on Monday in the central Gulf region (Louisiana). Tropical Storm Marco is now flirting with hurricane status and its trek over the very warm water of the Gulf could give it the boost needed to attain category one hurricane status. Tropical Storm Laura is currently interacting with the island of Hispaniola and it too is likely to make a run towards the central Gulf region (Louisiana/Texas border region) by the middle of the week. Tropical Storm Laura may also get a boost from the very warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico which could boost it to hurricane status before landfall later in the week.
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The 2020 Atlantic Basin tropical season has gotten off to a very active start and two systems are likely to have a high impact on the Gulf of Mexico by the early and middle parts of next week. One system is likely to cross over or right near the Yucatan Peninsula region of Mexico in the near-term and then push over the western part of the Gulf of Mexico and head towards the Texas/Louisiana border region. A second system is likely headed near or over the northern Caribbean islands of Puerto Rico, Haiti/Dominican Republic, and Cuba in the near-term and then perhaps through the Florida Straits before entering the Gulf of Mexico by early next week. Both of these systems are likely to intensify into named tropical storms status – one would be “Laura” and the other “Marco” – and perhaps even to hurricane status before possible landfalls next week as high sea surface temperatures will aid in further intensification.
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