Tracking Laura: Category 4 storm with winds of 150 mph makes landfall on west Louisiana coast

ORLANDO, Fla. — Hurricane Laura made landfall as a Category 4 storm near Lake Charles, Louisiana.

4:15 a.m. update:

Hurricane Laura struck land around 2 a.m. Thursday near Cameron, Louisiana packing 150 mph winds, Channel 9 meteorologist Brian Shields said. Laura continues to produce dangerous and destructive winds throughout much of Louisiana.

11 p.m. update:

Hurricane Laura is on track to make landfall near Lake Charles, Louisiana overnight with winds upwards of 150 mph. Channel 9 chief meteorologist Tom Terry said the storm could bring category 2 hurricane strength winds well inland and north of Interstate 10.

He said the storm is set to make landfall around 1 a.m. EST.

10:25 p.m. update:

Channel 9 chief meteorologist Tom Terry said when Hurricane Laura makes landfall, it will make for a record seventh named storm to hit the U.S. before the end of August. So far Bertha, Cristobal, Fay, Hanna, Isaias, and Marco have all impacted the U.S. this season.

8:15 p.m. update:

Hurricane Laura has winds topping out at 150 mph as it approaches the west Louisiana coast line, according to the 8 p.m. update from the National Weather Service.

7 p.m. update:

Winds continue to increase along the Louisiana and southeastern Texas coast. Tropical-storm-force winds are beginning to spread onshore across Central Louisiana coast. Maximum sustained winds of 39 mph were recently reported at Caillou Lake, Louisiana, and at Cypremort Point on Vermilion Bay, Louisiana.

5:00 p.m. update:

Hurricane Laura continues to intensify as it inches closer to the Louisiana/Texas border. The National Hurricane Center reported that water has started to rise along the northwest Gulf coast of southeast Texas and northwest Louisiana. A water-level station in Sabina Texas reported 2.3 feet inundation above ground level. In Louisiana, in Eugene Island, sustained winds of 36 mph and gusts up to 45 mph were registered.

Catastrophic storm surge is expected as the major hurricane continues to move toward the Gulf Coast. Water could travel as far as 40 miles inland from the coast in parts of Louisiana, and the water will not fully recede for several days after the storm.

Hurricane Laura’s pressure continues to drop, this is a sign that the system is still intensifying. At 5 p.m. the hurricane packed 145 mph maximum sustained winds. We expect Laura to take a north-northwestern turn tonight as it approaches the Texas/Louisiana border.

Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 205 miles.

3:00 p.m. update:

1:45 p.m. update

Hurricane Laura has reached category 4 strength with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph. It continues to move to the northwest at 16 mph and a turn to the north-northwest if expected later today. Landfall still forecast for the Louisiana/Texas border late Wednesday or very early Thursday morning.

Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 70 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 175 miles. Tropical-storm-force winds have reached the coast of Louisiana and an observing site at Eugene Island recently measured sustained winds of 39 mph and a gust to 64 mph.

12:20 p.m. update

Laura will continue to strengthen until landfall later tonight or very early Thursday morning.

IMPACTS TO GULF COAST

Storm Surge: Up to 20 feet of storm surge inundation is possible along the immediate coast of Louisiana, to the right of the storm´s center. Storm surge can reach 3 feet along the extreme southeastern coast of Texas. Water can go 30-40 miles inland. Every river and canal that flows out will reverse. That storm surge will go well inland, north of I-10.

Rain: From Wednesday night into Saturday, Laura is expected to produce rainfall of 4 to 8 inches, with isolated maximum amounts of 12 inches across portions of the west-central U.S. Gulf Coast from western Louisiana into extreme eastern Texas, and northward into portions of the lower to middle Mississippi Valley, lower Ohio Valley, and Tennessee Valley. This rainfall will cause widespread flash and urban flooding, small streams to overflow their banks, and minor to isolated moderate river flooding.

Wind: Laura could cause power outages for weeks. Expect catastrophic damage from Laura.

WHEN WILL IT MAKE LANDFALL?

Hurricane Laura will likely make landfall late Wednesday evening close to the Texas - Louisiana border, likely as a very strong category 4 hurricane or hurricane category 5. We will continue to monitor closely and bring you the latest on our newscasts, wftv.com and on our free WFTV weather app.

11 a.m. update

Laura continues to rapidly intensify, it has maximum sustained winds at 125 mph and the pressure continues to drop. Forward speed to the northwest has increases slightly, now at 16mph.

“Unsurvivable” storm surge for parts of coastal Louisiana as the National Hurricane Center mentioned in their latest advisory. 12-15 foot storm surge is possible to the right of where the center makes landfall. Coastal areas across Central Louisiana could reach 10-12 foot storm surge. A storm surge warning means there is a danger of life-threatening inundation from rising water moving inland from the coastline in the indicated locations.

A gradual turn toward the north-northwestward and north is expected later today and tonight. On the forecast track, Laura will approach 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.

8 a.m. update

Hurricane Laura has strengthen into a Category 3 storm, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Hurricane hunters said the storm’s maximum sustained winds have increased to 115 mph.

Weather officials said Laura is a dangerous Category 3 hurricane and is forecast to continue strengthening into a Category 4 hurricane Wednesday.

The National Hurricane Center said Laura is a large hurricane and hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 70 miles from the center of the storm.

A buoy located just east of Laura’s eye reported a sustained wind of 74 mph and a wind gust of 107 mph.

The storm is moving northwest at 15 mph.

Laura has become the first major hurricane of the season.

5 a.m. update

Laura is expected to rapidly strengthen to a Category 4 hurricane, according to weather officials.

The storm’s maximum sustained winds have increased to 110 mph. It is moving at 15 mph.

Forecasters said Laura’s winds could reach 130 mph by Wednesday. It is expected to be a major hurricane at landfall. Once it makes landfall, forecasters expected it to rapidly weaken.

The storm is forecast to produce a life-threatening storm surge, extreme winds and flash flooding over eastern Texas and Louisiana later Wednesday.

4:30 a.m. update

Hurricane Laura intensified into a Category 2 storm overnight, with 105 mph winds.

The National Hurricane Center said Laura is moving toward the west northwest at 17 mph.

A turn toward the northwest is forecast later Wednesday and a northwestward to north northwestward motion should continue through Wednesday night.

Laura should approach the Louisiana/Texas coasts on Wednesday evening and move inland Wednesday night or Thursday morning.

Laura is expected to be a major hurricane when it makes landfall.

Read: Update: NOAA’s Hurricane season forecast predicts a record number of storms this season

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