TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – The tropics remain active this weekend with two tropical storms in the Caribbean. Both are expected to slowly strengthen as they move into the Gulf of Mexico by early next week.
Tropical Storm Laura: 11 p.m. update
Tropical Storm Laura continues to move across the Dominican Republic Saturday evening. The current forecast brings Laura right over all of the Caribbean Islands, including Hispaniola and Cuba. Both of these islands are quite mountainous and will slow any strengthening through Monday.
As of the 11 p.m. advisory, Laura is 25 miles southeast of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph. It’s moving west northwest at 16 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.
TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS IN EFFECT:
- Puerto Rico, Vieques and Culebra
- The northern coast of the Dominican Republic from Cabo Engano to the border with Haiti
- The southern coast of the Dominican Republic from Cabo Engano to Punta Palenque
- The northern coast of Haiti from Le Mole St. Nicholas to the border with the Dominican Republic
- The southeastern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands
- Cuban provinces of Camaguey, Las Tunas, Holguin, Guantanamo, Santiago de Cuba, and Granma
TROPICAL STORM WATCHES IN EFFECT:
- The central Bahamas
- Andros Island
- Florida Keys from Ocean Reef to Key West and the Dry Tortugas
- Florida Bay
- Cuban provinces of Ciego De Avila, Sancti Spiritus, Villa Clara, Cienfuegos, Matanzas, Mayabeque, La Habana, Artemisa, and Pinar Del Rio
Tropical Storm Marco: 11 p.m. update
During Saturday evening, Marco beat Laura to the Gulf of Mexico and will stay ahead of Laura through its lifespan. Any interaction between the two storms will keep both of them weaker but for now, the timing of the storms do not bring them close enough for any interaction.
According to the 11 p.m. advisory, the storm’s center is moving through the Yucatan Channel about 110 miles northwest of the western tip of Cuba. It’s moving north northwest at about 13 mph with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph.
STORM SURGE WATCHES IN EFFECT:
- Sabine Pass to the Alabama/Florida border
- Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas, Lake Borgne, and Mobile Bay
HURRICANE WATCHES IN EFFECT:
- Intracoastal City Louisiana to the Mississippi/Alabama border
- Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas, and Metropolitan New Orleans
TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS IN EFFECT:
- Province of Pinar del Rio Cuba
TROPICAL STORM WATCHES IN EFFECT:
- Mississippi/Alabama border to the Alabama/Florida border