DOTD: I-10 closed to traffic in southwest LA
August 26, 2020
Hurricane Laura makes landfall as Category 4 storm near Cameron, La.
August 27, 2020
The 10pm update shows Hurricane Laura closing in on Louisiana. The storm is about 75 miles south of Lake Charles and about 75 miles southeast of Post Arthur, Texas. The storm still has a wind speed of 150 mph, keeping it at a category 4 strength. Our area remains under a tropical storm watch, a tornado watch and a storm surge warning.
At 1000 PM CDT (0300 UTC), the center of Hurricane Laura was located near latitude 29.0 North, longitude 93.2 West. Laura is moving toward the north-northwest near 15 mph (24 km/h). A turn toward the north is expected by early Thursday, and a northward motion should continue through the day. A northeastward to east-northeastward motion is expected Thursday night and Friday. On
the forecast track, Laura will make landfall along the southwest Louisiana coast within the next few hours and move inland within that area early Thursday. The center of Laura is forecast to move over northwestern Louisiana on Thursday, across Arkansas Thursday night, and over the mid-Mississippi Valley on Friday.
Maximum sustained winds are near 150 mph (240 km/h) with higher gusts. No significant change in strength is likely before landfall. Rapid weakening is expected after Laura moves inland.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles (95 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 205 miles (335 km). A sustained wind of 43 mph (69 km/h) and a gust to 49 mph (80 km/h) were recently reported by a National Ocean Service station at Texas Point, Texas, at Sabine Pass. A wind gust to 58 mph (93 km/h) was recently reported at Cameron, Louisiana.
The minimum central pressure estimated from Air Force and NOAA Hurricane Hunter observations is 939 mb (27.73 inches).
