LDH reports 844 new cases statewide and 31 new cases locally
August 26, 2020
LDWF Urges Public to be Mindful of Displaced Wildlife Following Hurricane Laura
August 26, 2020
Hurricane Laura has now become a category 4 storm. Locally, the weather is deteriorating as bands begin to reach our coast and waters begin to rise in the most southern regions of our parishes.
Currently, in Terrebonne Parish, the Bush Canal floodgate is showing winds at 37.24mph. The HNC Bubba Dove gate shows winds at 23.20mph. Bayou Petit Caillou shows winds at 30.45mph.
At 100 PM CDT (1800 UTC), the eye of Hurricane Laura was located near latitude 27.3 North, longitude 92.5 West. Laura is moving toward the northwest near 16 mph (26 km/h). A gradual turn toward the north-northwest and north is expected later today and tonight. On the forecast track, Laura will approach the Upper Texas and southwest Louisiana coasts this evening and move inland within that area tonight. The center of Laura is forecast to move over northwestern Louisiana tomorrow, across Arkansas Thursday night, and over the mid-Mississippi Valley on Friday.
Reports from an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicate that maximum sustained winds have increased to near 140 mph (220 km/h) with higher gusts. Laura is an extremely dangerous category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Some additional strengthening is possible this afternoon, and Laura is
forecast to remain a category 4 hurricane through landfall tonight. Rapid weakening is expected after Laura makes over land.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 70 miles (110 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 175 miles (280 km). Tropical-storm-force winds have reached the coast of Louisiana and an observing site at Eugene Island recently measured sustained winds of 39 mph (63 km/h) and a gust to 64 mph (104 km/h).
The latest minimum central pressure estimated from reconnaissance aircraft data is 952 mb (28.11 inches).
