Marco and Laura update: Tropical storm Marco follows towards Louisiana coast; Tropical Storm Laura to land as Hurricane Category 2, says National Hurricane Center

RALEIGH (WTVD) – As tropical storm Marco and Laura move through warm waters – they are slow but sure – making their way to hurricane status.

It’s official, there are now two tropical storms in the Atlantic Ocean: Tropical Storm Marco and Laura, according to the National Hurricane Center.

If forecasts are correct, we could see something that has never happened before: two hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico at the same time. We have seen two systems in golf before. There were two tropical storms in the Gulf of Mexico in 1959, one named Beulah and the other an unnamed storm. And in 1933, a Hurricane and Tropical Storm both hit the US

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Tropical Depression Fourteen officially intensifies in Tropical Storm Marco just before 11 a.m. Friday and gains strength. The system formed over the northwestern Caribbean Sea.

Marco has maximum sustained winds of 70 miles per hour and moves northwest through the Gulf of Mexico at 13 miles per hour.

Marco is expected to make landfall on the Louisiana coast Monday Monday through early Tuesday as a Category 1 hurricane.

Tropical Depression Thirteen officially intensified in Tropical Storm Laura at 9 a.m. Friday.

Tropical Storm Laura is currently still east and over Hispaniola. Some ground interaction could weaken it, but now Laura is expected to make landfall as a Category 2 hurricane near the same area that was previously hit by Marco

Laura now has maximum sustained winds at 45 miles per hour with lights up to 60 mph and moves west-northwest around 18 mph.

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KEY POINTS:

• Marco will make landfall on Tuesday and Laura will make landfall on Wednesday.
• This may be the first time we have two hurricanes in the Gulf.
• There will be no direct impact on North Carolina.

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