UPDATE 5 AM
Hurricane Laura struck this morning at 2 a.m. near Cameron, Louisiana, as a Category 4 hurricane with wind at 150 mph.
After 3 hours over land, Laura is now down to 120 mph winds and will remain a hurricane most of the day.
Laura is located more northerly across southwest Louisiana. Catastrophic storm surges, extreme winds, and flash floods continue in parts of Louisiana.
EARTE COVERAGE:
UPDATE 2:00 AM
Hurricane Laura struck as a Category 4 hurricane just after 2 a.m. with winds at 150 km / h near Cameron, Louisiana. It is the strongest hurricane to hit Louisiana since 1856.
From the 11 o’clock PM advice, Hurricane Laura maintains its strength with winds now sustaining 150 mph, with storms up to 185 mph. The storm continues to the NNW at 15 mph, with pressure now steady or even slightly rising at 939 mb.
From the 22.00 hrs advice, Hurricane Laura continues to gain strength with winds now sustained at 150 mph, with storms up to 185 mph. The storm continues to move to the NNW at 15 mph with pressure now dropping below 937 mb.
From the advice of 8 p.m., Hurricane Laura continues to gain strength with winds now halting at 150 mph, flying to 175 mph. The storm continues to move with 15 mph towards the NW, with pressure now dropping below 940 mb.
Big Hurricane Laura could be in the top 10 strongest hurricanes (due to wind speed) to make landfall in the United States.
From the 5 PM advice, Hurricane Laura continues to gain strength with winds now halting at 145 mph, flying to 175 mph. The storm continues to 15 mph to the NW, with pressure now dropping below 950 Mb.
Storm warnings are active along the northern Gulf Coast with more than 9 feet of bend possible in some areas.
The map below represents a reasonable scenario with the worst case of storm surge potential. A major concern about the risk of storm surge is how far inland it can go with Laura, in some cases salt water flooding from the Gulf can go more than 30 miles inland from the coast.
Here’s how Laura’s storm surge potential compared to previous storms
Although Laura will not hit our area, it’s time to be prepared for hurricane season before a storm even forms. Not sure where to start? Our NBC2 First Alert 2020 hurricane guide can help, take a look over here.
