Tropical storm Marco, briefly a category 1 hurricane, continues to approach the Louisiana coast but upper level sheering winds literally blew the storm apart, sending its convective thunderstorms northeastward to the Florida Panhandle. As its central circulation curves westward, Marco will weaken to a tropical depression, leaving only mild storm surge and coastal flooding in its wake.
Tropical storm Laura, on the other hand, continues to churn across the Caribbean, impaired only my mountainous terrain in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Cuba. Once it enters the giant bathtub of the Gulf of Mexico, where water temperatures are at or near 90 degrees F, Laura is expected to strengthen and will likely be a category 2-3 hurricane by the time it reaches the Texas-Louisiana border region. Unlike in Marco's case, the upper atmosphere will be free of sheering winds, favoring the storm's development.
Based on its current forward motion, Laura should reach the northwestern Gulf Coast within 48 hours. While its center will likely pass west of New Orleans, it is a large storm and its effects may stretch from Houston to Pensacola before it moves inland, bringing torrential rains to the lower Mississippi and Ohio Valleys.
See also: Tropical Storm Dynamics
Tropical storm Laura, on the other hand, continues to churn across the Caribbean, impaired only my mountainous terrain in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Cuba. Once it enters the giant bathtub of the Gulf of Mexico, where water temperatures are at or near 90 degrees F, Laura is expected to strengthen and will likely be a category 2-3 hurricane by the time it reaches the Texas-Louisiana border region. Unlike in Marco's case, the upper atmosphere will be free of sheering winds, favoring the storm's development.
Based on its current forward motion, Laura should reach the northwestern Gulf Coast within 48 hours. While its center will likely pass west of New Orleans, it is a large storm and its effects may stretch from Houston to Pensacola before it moves inland, bringing torrential rains to the lower Mississippi and Ohio Valleys.
See also: Tropical Storm Dynamics
