…WIND AND WATER LEVELS INCREASING AS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS HURRICANE LAURA TAKES AIM AT THE NORTHWEST GULF COAST…
…CATASTROPHIC STORM SURGE, EXTREME WINDS, AND FLASH FLOODING EXPECTED ALONG THE NORTHWEST GULF COAST TONIGHT…

*** A Storm Surge Warning is in effect for…
* Freeport Texas to the Mouth of the Mississippi River
*** A Hurricane Warning is in effect for…
* San Luis Pass Texas to Intracoastal City Louisiana
*** A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for…
* Sargent Texas to San Luis Pass
* East of Intracoastal City Louisiana to the Mouth of the
Mississippi River
*** A Hurricane Watch is in effect for…
* East of Intracoastal City to west of Morgan City Louisiana

Hurricane conditions are expected in the hurricane warning area tonight and Thursday, with catastrophic wind damage expected where Laura’s eyewall moves onshore tonight. Tropical storm conditions are moving onshore along the coast of Louisiana within the tropical storm warning area and are expected to spread northwestward within the warning areas this evening. Hurricane-force winds and damaging wind gusts are also expected to spread well inland into portions of eastern Texas and western Louisiana early Thursday.

Unsurvivable storm surge with large and destructive waves will cause catastrophic damage from Sea Rim State Park, Texas, to Intracoastal City, Louisiana, including Calcasieu and Sabine Lakes. This surge could penetrate up to 40 miles inland from the immediate coastline, and flood waters will not fully recede for several days after the storm.

Several tornadoes are expected late this afternoon through tonight over Louisiana, far southeast Texas, and southwestern Mississippi. The risk for a few tornadoes will continue into Thursday across Louisiana, Arkansas, and western Mississippi.

At 4 p.m. CDT, the center of Hurricane Laura was located about155 miles (250 km) south of Lake Charles, La. It’s moving toward the northwest near 15 mph (24 km/h). A turn toward the north-northwest and north is expected tonight, and a northward motion should continue on Thursday. A northeastward to east- northeastward motion is expected Thursday night and Friday. On the forecast track, Laura will approach the Upper Texas and southwest Louisiana coasts this evening and move inland within that area tonight. The center of Laura is forecast to move over northwestern Louisiana tomorrow, across Arkansas Thursday night, and over the mid-Mississippi Valley on Friday.

Reports from an Air Force Reserve hurricane hunter aircraft indicate that the maximum sustained winds have increased to near 145 mph (230 km/h) with higher gusts – an extremely dangerous category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles (95 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 205 miles (335 km). Some additional strengthening is possible this evening before Laura reaches the northwest Gulf coast overnight. Rapid weakening is expected after Laura moves inland.

The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. The water could reach the following heights above ground somewhere in the indicated areas if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide…
– Johnson Bayou LA to Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge including Calcasieu Lake…15-20 ft
– Sea Rim State Park TX to Johnson Bayou LA including Sabine Lake…10-15 ft
– Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge to Intracoastal City LA…10-15 ft
Intracoastal City LA to Morgan City including Vermilion Bay…8-12 ft
– Port Bolivar TX to Sea Rim State Park…6-9 ft
– Morgan City LA to Mouth of the Mississippi River…4-7 ft
– Freeport TX to Port Bolivar including Galveston Bay…2-4 ft
– Mouth of the Mississippi River to Ocean Springs MS incl. Lake Borgne…1-3 ft
– Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas…1-3 ft

From this afternoon through Friday, Laura is expected to
produce the following rainfall totals:
– Across the northwestern Gulf Coast from far southwest Louisiana andthe Golden Triangle of Southeast Texas: 8 to 12 inches with isolated totals of 18 inches.
– Across central and the rest of western Louisiana into far eastern Texas: 5 to 10 inches with isolated totals of 15 inches.
– Across much of Arkansas: 3 to 7 inches with isolated totals of 10 inches.
This rainfall will cause widespread flash and urban flooding, small streams and creeks to overflow their banks, and minor to moderate freshwater river flooding.

The next complete advisory will be issued by NHC at 10 p.m. CDT with an intermediate advisory at 7 p.m. CDT –www.hurricanes.gov