TROPICAL UPDATE: Two storm landfalls expected in the Gulf this week

August 23, 2020

This information is valid as of 10 pm on August 23, 2020.

All eyes remain on the tropics as two tropical systems swirl within a mere few hundred miles of each other.

Marco is struggling to maintain its intensity and has been downgraded to a tropical storm. Winds are down to 70 mph and pressure is up to 1000 mb. From there, the storm will continue northward to a landfall in southeastern Louisiana on Monday.

Hurricane Warnings are in effect for much of the Louisiana coastline, while Tropical Storm Watches and Warnings have been issued for the Mississippi and Alabama coasts. Marco will make a westerly turn after landfall, bringing heavy rain to Louisiana and East Texas.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Laura is strengthening near Cuba. Winds are up to 65 mph, and it is expected to strengthen and become a hurricane in the Gulf. This storm is now likely to become a category 2 hurricane before landfall in Louisiana or East Texas overnight Wednesday into Thursday.

While Louisiana will see the heaviest rain and strongest wind from these two storms, we could see impacts in northeast Mississippi by the end of the week. Laura will pass just to our west, bringing us the chance for some rain on Thursday and Friday. Of course, with a tropical system, brief tornadoes are also possible. This is something we’ll have to continue to monitor as it largely depends on Laura’s track after landfall.