Tropical Storm Laura Could Become Hurricane, Forecasters Say
Storm could gather strength and strike mid-week along Louisiana or Texas coasts
Forecasters warned that Tropical Storm Laura could strengthen to a powerful hurricane before making landfall later this week in Louisiana, or possibly Texas.
“A period of rapid strengthening is possible once Laura reorganizes an inner core after its passage over western Cuba,” the National Hurricane Center said Monday. “The regional hurricane models remain quite bullish on intensification.”
The storm is expected to arrive Wednesday or Thursday, on the heels of Tropical Storm Marco, which may bring high winds and storm surge to eastern Louisiana beginning late Monday. Marco is weakening and was expected to become a tropical depression beginning Monday night as it moves west along the Louisiana coast. It could bring flooding and property damage before the arrival of the larger potential hurricane, if they strike the same places, forecasters warned.
“It’s a one-two punch here with this,” said Joel Cline, tropical program coordinator with the National Weather Service. “You wouldn’t have any time for repairs.”
Forecasters said that Laura, meanwhile, was a highly unpredictable storm.
“Everyone from Corpus Christi to NOLA absolutely needs to watch this forecast closely,” tweeted Matt Lanza, a meteorologist with Houston’s Space City Weather. “A lot of viable track options remain very much on the table.”
The Space City website, which provides forecasts for the Houston area, said Laura could strengthen to a powerful hurricane.
The governors of Louisiana and Texas requested and received White House approval of emergency declarations in anticipation of the storms. They warned communities to take precautions. Authorities in some Louisiana parishes urged people living in coastal or flood-prone areas to consider evacuating.
In a Sunday briefing, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said about 32,000 customers in Puerto Rico were without power and 13,700 without water service after Laura passed through the island. In the U.S. Virgin Islands, 4,763 customers were without power.
The governor of Puerto Rico requested an emergency declaration Friday, which was granted on Saturday by President Trump. Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves issued a state of emergency on Saturday.
Previous forecasts indicated that both storms could strengthen into hurricanes while simultaneously in the Gulf of Mexico, which would be a first. However, Mr. Cline said it now seemed unlikely that Marco and Laura would be in the Gulf of Mexico at the same time or influence each other.