Marco makes landfall on Louisiana’s coast
Forecast shows Laura is not far behind, could be strong Category 2
The dual threat of twin storms remains for the coasts of Louisiana and Texas after a weakened Tropical Storm Marco hit Louisiana’s coast on Monday. Forecasts show that Laura is not far behind and is expected to reach a strong Category 2 force before striking later this week.
Tropical Storm Marco made landfall in Louisiana near the mouth of the Mississippi River about 7 p.m. Monday, according to the latest update from the National Hurricane Center. It had top wind speeds of 40 mph and is forecast to weaken as it moves along the Louisiana coast, the hurricane center said.
Tropical Storm Laura, a far more formidable threat, will reach Category 2 hurricane strength, with top wind speeds of 105 mph by the time it slams into the coast of Louisiana or Texas late Wednesday or early Thursday, according to the latest forecast. It was bringing heavy rain and flashflooding to Jamaica, the Cayman Islands and parts of Cuba on Monday.
“All indications are that Laura will steadily gain strength as it sets its menacing sights on the Texas and Louisiana coasts,” said Mike Chesterfield, director of weather presentation at The Weather Channel.
“The recipe is there for a dangerous hurricane to make landfall late Wednesday night into Thursday morning. All coastal residents in states that border the northwestern Gulf of Mexico should begin their preparations now by checking their evacuation kits, monitoring the latest forecasts, and listening to their local officials.”
As Laura passes Cuba, it is bringing rough weather to South Florida. A gale warning, which means an expectation of high winds over the ocean, was issued for coastal waters from the Florida Keys through Deerfield Beach. Gusts of more than 40 mph are possible, with seas of six to nine feet, according to the National Weather Service. High winds gusted over South Florida on Monday, and the region will experience strong rip currents through at least Tuesday night.
At 8 p.m., Tropical Storm Laura was just south of western Cuba and producing top winds of 60 mph. The storm is expected to intensify once it clears Cuba and starts passing over the warm open water of the Gulf. The storm is expected to become a hurricane by early Tuesday.
The two storms are products of what’s shaping up to be a historic hurricane season, one that fulfills forecasters’ observations that ocean temperatures and climate patterns had come together to create nearly ideal conditions for storm formation. The storms materialized just as the Atlantic entered the peak of the season, a period that runs through mid-October and reaches its own peak on Sept. 10.
A tropical storm warning was in effect for the Florida Keys from Key West to Craig Key as of early Monday, as is the Dry Tortugas, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac, and portions of Cuba as Laura continues to churn in the Caribbean.
For Marco, a storm surge warning is in effect from Morgan City, La., to Ocean Springs, Miss., as well as Lake Borgne, meaning that there is a danger of life-threatening inundation, from rising water moving inland from the coastline, during the next 36 hours, according to the NHC. If the peak surge occurs at high tide, a surge of 2 to 4 feet is forecast, according to the NHC advisory.
Early Monday, all hurricane warnings were canceled and downgraded to tropical storm warnings, with tropical storm conditions expected in the next 12 to 24 hours, the NHC said. A tropical storm watch was in effect for the Louisiana coastline from Morgan City to the mouth of the Pearl
River. Tropical storm watches were also in effect for Intracoastal City to the Mississippi/Alabama border, Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas, and Metropolitan New Orleans.
A tropical storm watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area within a given time frame. A tropical storm warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected.
“Residents should continue to monitor the storm and be prepared for severe weather, 20-30 mph winds with gusts up to 50 mph, and strong squalls,” said Shannon Weiner, emergency management director of Monroe County, which includes the Florida Keys.
Marco is the 13th named storm of the hurricane season. Tropical Storm Laura was the 12th storm of the year, matching the record for the most number of tropical storms before September. The only other time that happened was in 2005, the year of Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma.