10 PM Update: Tropical Storm Laura enters Gulf of Mexico; Marco downgraded to Tropical Depression

A tropical storm watch has been issued for the southeast Louisiana coast ahead of Laura. That includes lower Plaquemines, lower Jefferson, Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes. A hurricane watch is in effect farther west from Morgan City to southeast Texas.

Threats from Marco are pretty much finished - all warnings associated with Marco were canceled, although we could still get a breeze and some passing showers or storms from it Tuesday and a weak continuation of an onshore flow, keeping water levels a bit higher along the coast and in the tidal lakes.

Our focus now shifts to Tropical Storm Laura, which is near western Cuba with winds of 60 mph. The forecast path hasn't changed much in the past day or so and takes it to southwest Louisiana by Wednesday night.

Tropical Storm Laura is currently located just west of the Cuban coastline and in the Gulf of Mexico. The storm is moving rather quickly to the west/northwest at 20 mph with winds of 65 mph at the Monday 10 pm advisory.

The forecast path hasn't changed much over the past day or so and takes it to southwest Louisiana by Wednesday night as a Category 2 hurricane.

Laura may be able to strengthen even more than that and could become a major hurricane (category 3 or higher). The overall atmospheric conditions in the Gulf of Mexico upon Laura's arrival could help it to rapidly intensify.

Impacts along the Gulf Coast will be possible starting late Tuesday night. That would include tropical storm force winds along the coast and breezy conditions farther inland for New Orleans and the Northshore.

New tropical storm and surge watches have been issued for southeast Louisiana ahead of Tropical Storm Laura.

[DannyOvox]

lol me from Houston watching these updates and everytime they say is good news that the storm moves towards Texas O.O

[MrOMYSTARZ]

Can't say I miss Louisiana weather.

[Liam]

Push it to Central Texas, especially san antonio we really need the rain !

[csonkaperdido]

I have a question/observation...
I live in Tampa... When Irma hit Florida I was watching the news the entire time, and the eye of the storm passed literally 5 miles west of me - so I was on the "northeast quadrant" of the storm - which is the worst part.
According to the weather experts, it was a Cat 2 storm with 100+mph wind when it was literally right on top of us... Yet I never saw a single gust up to hurricane strength.. And the official wind reports all showed the same thing.
How is it possible to have a cat 2 hurricane literally right on top of you, yet even the highest observed wind gusts were BELOW hurricane force?
Same thing with Marco... Was watching news reports out of New Orleans and the center of the storm was smack in the middle of 4 different official weather observation posts - and 3 of them were buoys in the open gulf where the wind is gonna be highest because there's no trees or land to slow it down.
The official report said SUSTAINED winds of 50mph... Yet not a single weather post had even a single wind gust above 35mph... That's not even a tropical storm.
Why are the winds nowhere near what they're telling us?
I went through hurricanes Jeanne and Frances in 2004... Same thing. Not a single wind gust that reached hurricane strength... In either of those 2 storms.
Why are the reported wind speeds so much higher than the actual wind speed?

[queenmoreau]

Thank you. You've been my favorite weather man during all this. You have the same hopes as I do. Go West, Laura, go West!

[austinmiller]

We haven't gotten a inch or more of rain since last Sunday 8 consecutive days in a row without a substantial amount of rain

[reddodott]

Nice to know your wishing it on someone else to push more west

[tonyknight]

The computer models have never been consistent!!

[stephenanderson]

Got a bad hunch Laura goin be at least a cat 4

[deepquake]

Funny how weather caster in tx say hope it goes East...

[teeque]

so Marco just died and Laura got stronger and moved on with her life? how unfaithful! why do men always die first?

[hughhoob]

I'm looking forward to Winter

First cold day I'm going outside in it like *Mr Freeze* 🥶❄️😅🤣

[russellmeauxrussellmania]

Love how he said the computers got better and predicted to make landfall as a cat 2 and it was almost a cat 5 landfall

[rosiekadeh]

Is this coming to nj are we in clear ??

[riccardomorettini]

This will be a historic Hurricane for Lake Charles and Beaumont. Maybe Houston

[jayinvestments]

Just had to show the Rita models :(( rip the dead homies :(

[downyfabricsoftener]

Hurricane Harvey 2: The Electric Boogalo

[parkerconnor]

My god was this intensity forcast wrong!!😂

[dbrox]

That Saharan dust that weather talking heads never mention is what is killing these storms maybe.?.. :-/

[josefinaholzapfel]

God listens to our fervent prayers. We keep on praying. Sending love to America ! Sending love to President Donald Trump!