TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Marco obtained hurricane status Sunday afternoon but later dropped back down to tropical storm status late Sunday night. Tropical Storm Laura is trailing behind but continues to strengthen.
Tropical Storm Laura 11 p.m. update
Tropical Storm Laura is dumping “torrential rainfall” across eastern Cuba and Jamaica, according to the National Hurricane Center. The area Laura is moving over is quite mountainous and will slow any strengthening through Monday.
As of the 11 p.m. Sunday advisory, Laura is moving west northwest over eastern Cuba at 21 mph. The storm is sustaining winds of 65 mph.
Models trends take Laura farther west, away from Florida. The current forecast shows a potential landfall somewhere along the northern Gulf Coast States from Mississippi to Texas late Wednesday night or Thursday morning.
TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS IN EFFECT:
- Little Cayman and Cayman Brac
- Cuban provinces of Camaguey, Las Tunas, Holguin, Guantanamo, Santiago de Cuba, Granma, Ciego De Avila, Sancti Spiritus, Villa Clara, Cienfuegos, Matanzas, Mayabeque, La Habana, Artemisa, Pinar del Rio, and the Isle of Youth
- Dry Tortugas
TROPICAL STORM WATCHES IN EFFECT:
- Florida Keys from Craig Key to Key West
Tropical Storm Marco: 11 p.m. update
Marco achieved hurricane status around 12:32 p.m. ET. Sunday, as it reached maximum sustained winds of 75 mph crossing the Central Gulf. However, it later dropped back down to a tropical storm late Sunday evening.
According to the 11 p.m. Sunday advisory, Marco is crossing the Central Gulf of Mexico about 185 miles south southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River. It’s moving north northwest at about 12 mph with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph.
Marco will likely reach the Gulf Coast Monday afternoon, making landfall somewhere along the Louisiana coastline.
Laura will follow right behind Marco and potentially make landfall near the same location as Marco, just a few days later. Laura is expect to stronger than Marco at landfall and the current forecast brings it onshore as a category two storm with winds of 100 mph.
The forecast models have better confidence on a northern Gulf Coast landfall for both storms Sunday morning but trends will still need to be watched all week, especially for any changes with Laura’s forecast.
STORM SURGE WARNINGS IN EFFECT:
- Morgan City Louisiana to Ocean Springs Mississippi
- Lake Borgne
HURRICANE WARNINGS IN EFFECT:
- Morgan City Louisiana to Mouth of the Pearl River
STORM SURGE WATCHES IN EFFECT:
- Sabine Pass to Morgan City Louisiana
- Ocean Springs Mississippi to the Mississippi/Alabama border
- Lake Pontchartrain to Lake Maurepas
HURRICANE WATCHES IN EFFECT:
- Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas, and Metropolitan New Orleans
TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS IN EFFECT:
- Mouth of the Pearl River to the Mississippi/Alabama border
- Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas, and Metropolitan New Orleans
- Cameron to west of Morgan City
TROPICAL STORM WATCHES IN EFFECT:
- Mississippi/Alabama border to the Alabama/Florida border
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