Laura still aims for US coast, closer to Texas/Louisiana border on Wednesday

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Tropical Storm Laura is moving over Cuba this evening. The path of the storm still places landfall near the Texas/Louisiana border as a Category 2 storm. The Governor mentioned in his update we need to prepare for a Category 3.

At 8 p.m. EDT, the center of Tropical Storm Laura was located about 175 miles (280 km) east-southeast of Camaguey, Cuba. It’s moving toward the west-northwest near 21 mph (33 km/h), and this general motion with some decrease in forward speed is expected over the next couple of days. A turn toward the northwest is forecast by Wednesday. On the forecast track, the center of Laura will move near or over the southern coast Cuba tonight and Monday, and move over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico Monday night and Tuesday. Laura is expected to move over the central and northwestern Gulf of Mexico
Tuesday night and Wednesday.

 

The maximum sustained winds are near 60 mph (95 km/h) with higher gusts. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 140 miles (220 km) from the center. An observation in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, recently measured sustained winds of 35 mph (56 km/h) and a wind gust to 44 mph (71 km/h). Little change in strength is forecast to take place while Laura moves near the southern coast of Cuba tonight and Monday. However, strengthening is forecast after the storm moves over the Gulf of Mexico, and Laura is forecast to become a hurricane late Tuesday or Tuesday night.


 

By later Wednesday into Friday Laura is expected to produce rainfall of 5 to 10 inches, with isolated maximum amounts of 15 inches across portions of the west-central U.S. Gulf Coast near the Texas and Louisiana border north into portions of the lower Mississippi Valley. This rainfall could lead to flash, urban, and small stream flooding.

 

The next complete advisory will be issued by NHC at 11 p.m. EDT