National Hurricane Center: Marco weakens as Tropical Storm Laura grows stronger in the Atlantic Ocean with both storms expected to affect Louisiana, Texas

RALEIGH (WTVD) – Marco weakened back after a tropical storm Sunday night, but continues along the Louisiana coast, according to the National Hurricane Center. Meanwhile, models let Tropical Storm Laura intensify in a hurricane before they even cross into the Gulf states.

Fujiwhara effect: Can 2 hurricanes merge in a megastorm?

Tropical Storm Marco currently has maximum sustained winds of 60 miles per hour, with birds up to 70 miles per hour. The storm is moving northwest through the Gulf of Mexico at 10 miles per hour. At 5 p.m., Marco lay 115 miles southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River.

Marco is expected to make landfall on the Louisiana Coast coast early Tuesday. The storm is likely to bring heavy rain, wind gusts and a significant storm surge to parts of the Gulf Coast on Monday.

Tropical Storm Laura is hovering over Cuba Monday morning, about 175 miles east / southwest of Cayo Largo. Some ground interaction could have limited reinforcement, but now it is expected that Laura will allow landfall as a Category 2 hurricane near the same area as Marco. Laura has requested a Tropical Storm Warning for parts of the Florida Keys, while Eastern Cuba and Jamaica will expect heavy rain on Monday.

Laura now has maximum sustained winds at 65 miles per hour with lights up to 75 mph and moving from west-northwest around 21 mph. Most models have Laura making him land anywhere from Houston to New Orleans.

Storm Ready 2020: Preparing for a Pandemic

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.
• For North Carolina, Laura brings the possibility of rain Friday and Saturday.

WATCH: Prepare your hurricane kit during COVID-19