At a Glance
Laura strengthened into a hurricane Tuesday morning in the southern Gulf of Mexico.
Conditions in the Gulf of Mexico should allow Laura to strengthen significantly.
Laura is predicted to become a major hurricane prior to landfall on the upper Texas or southwest Louisiana coasts.
Life-threatening storm surge and damaging winds will affect areas near where Laura makes landfall.
Laura is also an inland flood risk as far north as Arkansas or southern Missouri.Isolated tornadoes are also expected from Laura.
Hurricane Laura is expected to intensify over the Gulf of Mexico and become a major hurricane prior to striking the upper Texas or southwest Louisiana coasts late Wednesday or early Thursday. Life-threatening storm surge and destructive winds will batter the coast and a threat of flooding rain and strong winds will extend well inland.
Residents along the upper Texas and southwest Louisiana coasts should prepare now for a hurricane strike. Follow any evacuation orders issued by local or state officials.
More than half a million people in east Texas and western Louisiana have been told to leave their homes ahead of Hurricane Laura, which could make landfall as a major Category 3 storm.
"Today is the day. The weather is still nice here in Galveston. This is the day for everybody to get their belongs together and, for the safety of themselves and their family, to go ahead and evacuate today. Do not wait," Craig Brown, mayor pro tem of the city of Galveston, told The Weather Channel.
Galveston, which sits on a barrier island on the Texas Gulf Coast, issued a mandatory evacuation order Tuesday morning and urged residents to leave as soon as possible.
Surrounding Galveston County issued a voluntary evacuation for the Bolivar Peninsula saying it was possible the peninsula cold be cut off from emergency services because of Hurricane Laura.
“The main point is that we’re going to have a significant hurricane make landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday,†National Hurricane Center Deputy Director Ed Rappaport said Tuesday.
Complicating evacuations is reduced capacity at emergency shelters because of the need for social distancing in the era of the coronavirus.
"Frankly there's not that many places for people to go to," Dick Gremillion, director of homeland security and emergency preparedness for Louisiana's Calcasieu Parish, told The Weather Channel. "In our traditional shelters, we've lost two-thirds of capacity. It has been a difficult time rolling COVID into hurricane preparations."
more w/video
https://weather.com/news/news/2020-08-23-hurricane-marco-laura-louisiana-texas-mississippi-gulf-coast