NEWS ITEM ON HURRICANE LAURA ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY, FORECAST OFFICE SECTION, AT 6 AM EDT WEDNESDAY 26TH AUGUST, 2020.
....LAURA EXPECTED TO RAPIDLY STRENGTHEN TO A CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE... ...FORECAST TO PRODUCE A LIFE-THREATENING STORM SURGE, EXTREME WINDS, AND FLASH FLOODING OVER EASTERN TEXAS AND LOUISIANA LATER TODAY...
AT 5 AM EDT, THE CENTER OF HURRICANE LAURA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 26.1°NORTH AND LONGITUDE 90.7° WEST OR ABOUT 315 MILES SOUTHEAST OF LAKE CHARLES, LOUISIANA.
LAURA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 15 MPH (24 KM/H) AND THIS GENERAL MOTION SHOULD CONTINUE TODAY, AND A NORTH-NORTHWESTWARD MOTION IS FORECAST TONIGHT. ON THE FORECAST TRACK, LAURA SHOULD APPROACH THE UPPER TEXAS AND SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA COASTS ON THIS EVENING AND MOVE INLAND NEAR THOSE AREAS TONIGHT OR THURSDAY MORNING.
SATELLITE DATA INDICATE THAT MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE INCREASED TO NEAR 110 MPH (175 KM/H) WITH HIGHER GUSTS. LAURA IS FORECAST TO BECOME A CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE TODAY, AND IS EXPECTED TO BE A MAJOR HURRICANE AT LANDFALL. RAPID WEAKENING IS EXPECTED AFTER LAURA MAKES LANDFALL.
THE NEXT NEWS ITEM WILL BE ISSUED AT NOON.
PREPARED BY DUTY FORECASTER: S. MATHER ISSUED: 26/08/20 @ 5:30 AM
