The National Hurricane Center is warning that Hurricane Laura will turn into a “major” Category 3 hurricane with winds of 115mph before it comes ashore on the Gulf Coast late Wednesday or early Thursday, reports USA Today.
Hurricane warnings and storm surge warnings have been issued for portions of the Texas and Louisiana coasts, and over 400,000 people in Texas, including the cities of Beaumont, Galveston and Port Arthur, along with close to 350,000 in Louisiana are under orders to evacuate ahead of the storm. Mandatory evacuation orders continue to be issued today for several communities.
Over half a million people have been told to evacuate in Texas and Louisiana ahead of Hurricane #Laura, which is forecast to make landfall on Wednesday night as a major Category 3 storm: August 25, 2020
Calcasieu Parish Sheriff Tony Mancuso held a briefing Tuesday morning and had this to say: “When we say mandatory evacuation, we’re not going to physically come remove you from your house. But I want you to understand that there is going to be a point where we cannot help you and you’re on your own.”
Besides the fierce winds that are expected to be close to 115 mph along with higher gusts, a huge storm surge is expected along the Louisiana Texas Gulf Coasts with Storm Surge Warnings in effect from San Luis Pass Texas to Intracoastal City Louisiana. The storm surge will get as high as 13 feet in some areas, so this is a very danerous situation.
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The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to the right of the landfall location, where the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves. In addition to the surge, up to 15 inches of rain could fall in some spots in Louisiana.
Parts of Mississippi also are in a danger zone. “Today (Tuesday) is the day to prepare if you are in a watch area because the weather will be going downhill by Wednesday afternoon,” says the National Hurricane Center.
