Hurricane warnings are posted along the Louisiana coastline from Morgan City to the mouth of the Mississippi. Inland areas including metropolitan New Orleans are under a tropical storm warning as Tropical Storm Marco takes aim.
Greater Houston remains in the cone of uncertainty and cannot rule out heavy rain by Wednesday. And the track can change.
Marco picked up strength overnight into Sunday morning.
This is the 7am Sunday advisory from the National Hurricane Center:
At 700 AM CDT (1200 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Marco was located near latitude 24.2 North, longitude 87.1 West. Marco is moving toward the north-northwest near 13 mph (20 km/h). Marco is
forecast to continue moving north-northwestward across the central Gulf of Mexico today and will approach southeastern Louisiana on Monday. A gradual turn toward the west with a decrease in
forward speed is expected after Marco moves inland on Monday and on Tuesday.
Maximum sustained winds are near 70 mph (110 km/h) with higher gusts. Some strengthening is anticipated and Marco is forecast to become a hurricane later today and be at hurricane strength when
it approaches the northern Gulf Coast on Monday. Rapid weakening is expected after Marco moves inland.
Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles (95 km) from the center.
The estimated minimum central pressure based on data from the Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft is 994 mb (29.36 inches).
Make a special note of Houston’s position in the cone.
Tropical Storm Laura is flooding low-lying areas on the island of Hispaniola and will move westward toward Cuba tonight.Laura is expected to move into the Gulf of Mexico early in the week and will intensify. Laura will criss-cross the path of Marco mid-week as at least a Cat 1, and possibly picking up enough energy from the warm Gulf waters, between 85 and 90 degrees, to increase to a Cat 2 by landfall.
Note that Greater Houston is also within the cone of Laura.
This is the latest update from the National Hurricane Center on Tropical Storm Laura.
At 800 AM EDT (1200 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Laura was located near latitude 19.1 North, longitude 72.1 West. Laura is moving toward the west-northwest near 18 mph (30 km/h), and this
general motion is expected over the next few days.On the forecast track, the center of Laura will move across Hispaniola this morning, be near or over Cuba tonight and Monday, and over the
southeastern Gulf of Mexico Monday night and Tuesday.
Maximum sustained winds are near 45 mph (75 km/h) with higher gusts.
No significant change in strength is forecast during the next 36 to 48 hours while Laura moves over or near Hispaniola and Cuba. Strengthening is forecast once Laura moves into the Gulf of Mexico
Monday night and Tuesday.
Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 140 miles (220 km) from the center.
The estimated minimum central pressure based on nearby surface observations is 1005 mb (29.68 inches).