Tracking Laura: Tropical Storm Laura Forecast To Become A Hurricane On Tuesday
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Tropical Storm Laura is forecast to become a hurricane on Tuesday.
At 11 p.m. Monday, 80 miles northeast of the western tip of Cuba.
Laura is moving toward the west-northwest near 20 mph and this general motion with some decrease in forward speed is expected over the next day or so.
A turn toward the northwest is forecast by Wednesday, and a northwestward to north-northwestward motion should continue through Wednesday night.
On the forecast track, the center of Laura will move away from Cuba and over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico overnight.
Laura is then forecast to move over the central and northwestern Gulf of Mexico Tuesday night and Wednesday, and approach the northwestern coast of the Gulf of Mexico Wednesday night.
Maximum sustained winds are near 65 mph with higher gusts. Strengthening is expected, and Laura is foreast to become a hurricane on Tuesday.
Additional strengthening is forecast on Wednesday, and Laura could be near major hurricane strength when it approaches the coast.
Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 175 miles from the center.
A Storm Surge Watch is in effect for:
- San Luis Pass Texas to Ocean Springs Mississippi
- Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas, and Lake Borgne
A Hurricane Watch is in effect for:
- Port Bolivar Texas to west of Morgan City Louisiana
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for:
- Cuban provinces of Villa Clara, Cienfuegos, Matanzas, Mayabeque, La Habana, Artemisa, Pinar del Rio, and the Isle of Youth
- Florida Keys from the Seven Mile Bridge to Key West
- Dry Tortugas
A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for:
- South of Port Bolivar to San Luis Pass Texas
- Morgan City Louisiana to the Mouth of the Mississippi River