RICHMOND, Va. -- The central coast of the Gulf of Mexico will be dealing with two tropical systems the next few days.
Marco will approach the Louisiana coastline on Monday. Hurricane wind speeds begin at 74 mph, and Marco will have hurricane-force or near hurricane-force winds at landfall. In addition to the strong winds, there will be heavy rainfall and a storm surge of two to six feet.
Marco's forecast landfall ranges from eastern Texas to near the Louisiana/Mississippi border, but is centered just west of New Orleans.
Laura will move from Cuba into the Gulf of Mexico Monday night into Tuesday. As it travels over the very warm water, it is expected to strengthen into a hurricane. The environment with Laura will be a little different, and there is the potential for the storm to reach category two status (winds 96-110 mph) before making landfall late Wednesday into Wednesday night. Additional heavy rainfall will pound the area, along with a higher storm surge.
The forecast track also takes Laura between eastern Texas and the Louisiana/Mississippi border, but is centered slightly more west than Marco, between Lafayette and Lake Charles.
The strongest part of a hurricane is the front right quadrant. Winds experience no friction over the ocean and then slam into the coastline, along with torrential rainfall, storm surge and the potential for tornadoes.
With the track of both of these storms, central and eastern coastal Louisiana will be greatly affected.
The tracks of Laura and Marco will likely be adjusted further. More info can be found in the CBS 6 Tropical Tracker.
STORM TRACKING LINKS:
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Interactive Tropical Tracker
