Hurricane Laura is only seven miles per hour away from becoming a Category 5 storm -- and is already stronger than Hurricane Katrina

4 years ago 287

3 min ago

Extreme wind warnings issued in Louisiana for Lake Charles, Beaumont, and Port Arthur

A rare “extreme wind warning” has been issued by the National Weather Service office in Louisiana.

Extreme wind warnings are issued when winds that are not associated with a tornado or other thunderstorm event are expected to exceed 115 mph, such as in a major hurricane.

The warning covers Lake Charles, Beaumont, Port Arthur and other nearby locations in extreme southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas, until 2 a.m. ET.

Residents in these locations are warned to ”take cover now and to treat these imminent extreme winds as if a tornado was approaching and move immediately to the safe room in your shelter.”

12 min ago

The hurricane eyewall is approaching the Louisiana coast

The hurricane eyewall is nearing the coast of Louisiana, the National Hurricane Center warned in their 11 p.m. ET update.

The center warned that there will be "catastrophic storm surge, extreme winds, and flash flooding expected tonight and early Thursday."

Wind gusts at Cameron, Louisiana, are already reaching 67 miles per hour. Meanwhile, gusts at Calcasieu Pass are measuring 70 mph.

Most Cameron residents have evacuated, though some remain. About 100,000 residents in Calcasieu Parish, where Lake Charles is located, could face possible flooding.

The hurricane's maximum sustained winds remain at 150 mph, as it moves toward the coast at roughly 15 mph.

6 min ago

Dilapidated bridge on I-10 at risk from Hurricane Laura's storm surge and winds

From CNN's Virginia Langmaid

Calcasieu River Bridge near Lake Charles, Louisiana. Alamy

The western stretch of Interstate 10, which runs across southern Louisiana, is now closed as Hurricane Laura barrels toward the coast.

In preparation for the storm, Gov. John Bel Edwards closed the highway from the Louisiana-Texas border to the Atchafalaya Basin.

This portion of the highway includes the Calcasieu River Bridge, which was given a sufficiency rating of 6.6 out of 100 by the National Bridge Inventory upon its most recent assessment.

The I-10 bridge, built in 1952, will face hurricane-force winds and a strong storm surge Wednesday night into Thursday morning, as Hurricane Laura bears down on the region.

The bridge's structural evaluation was found to be "Basically intolerable requiring high priority of corrective action" by the inventory, which is a part of the Federal Highway Administration. The bridge's status was determined to be "structurally deficient."

For context: In 2007, the I-35W Mississippi River Bridge collapsed during rush hour, killing 13 people. It had previously received a sufficiency rating of 50 out of 100.

27 min ago

Watch Laura's rapid intensification

From midnight last night to midnight tonight, Laura has rapidly intensified from a Category 1 without an eye to a category 4 hurricane with a well-defined eye.

The eye-wall, the area around the eye, is the strongest portion of a hurricane.

Here's what that 24-hour intensification looked like on satellite:

42 min ago

Louisiana governor asks residents to stay off the roads and "pray for the best"

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards tonight warned residents to stay off the roads as the state prepares for Hurricane Laura to make landfall.

"Much of our state is in the path of Hurricane Laura tonight. Whether you evacuated or are at home, you need to stay off the roads. This is a time for all of us to be praying for the best, while we're prepared for the worst. God bless you and your families. Be safe tonight," he tweeted.

58 min ago

100,000 residents in Louisiana's Calcasieu Parish could be at risk of flooding

From CNN’s Joe Sutton

Hurricane Laura is expected to bring significant flooding and storm surges into Louisiana as it comes ashore.

Calcasieu Parish, where the city of Lake Charles is located, has about 100,000 residents who are at risk of possible flooding, parish spokesman Tom Hoefer told CNN.

Residents who reside below I-10 in the parish are at higher risk of flooding, Hoefer said.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said earlier tonight that the state is closing a section of I-10, the east-west interstate that connects much of the Gulf Coast.

1 hr 11 min ago

VP Mike Pence to those in Laura's path: "Our prayers are with you"

From CNN's DJ Judd

Vice President Mike Pence speaks on the third night of the Republican National Convention, at Ft. McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland on Wednesday, August 26. Kevin Dietsch/Pool/Sipa USA

Vice President Mike Pence spoke briefly about the hurricane tonight during his remarks at the Republican National Convention.

“Our prayers are with you tonight, and our administration is working closely with authorities in the states that will be impacted. FEMA has mobilized resources and supplies for those in harm’s way," he said, addressing residents along the Gulf Coast who are in the hurricane's path.

"This is a serious storm, and we urge all those in the affected areas to heed state and local authorities. Stay safe, and know that we’ll be with you every step of the way to support, rescue, response, and recover in the days and weeks ahead. That’s what Americans do.”

Watch:

1 hr 16 min ago

Hurricane Laura is less than 50 miles away and will make landfall in a few hours

From CNN's Brandon Miller

This photo of Hurricane Laura was taken aboard the International Space Station on Wednesday, August 26. Chris Cassidy/NASA

Hurricane Laura is now closing in on the Northwest Gulf Coast, according to the National Hurricane Center’s updated advisory.

Here's the latest:

The storm remains a high-end Category 4 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph. The center of the storm is currently about 75 miles south of Lake Charles, Louisiana, or about 45 miles from the Louisiana coastline. Landfall should occur in the next three to four hours at its current speed (about 15 miles per hour) and trajectory.Hurricane-force winds of 74 mph or greater extend up to 60 miles from the center, and are already starting to push on shore. Conditions in southwest Louisiana and far southeastern Texas will be deteriorating quickly in the next couple of hours. The hurricane's strength likely won't change before landfall, though it's expected to weaken rapidly after it moves inland.

Storm surge warnings, hurricane warnings and tropical storm warnings remain in place along the coast and inland, with the advisory warning, "This is a life-threatening situation."

"All preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion in the next few hours," the warning read.

1 hr 31 min ago

Texas and Louisiana are already reporting more than 13,000 power outages combined

From CNN’s Joe Sutton and Andy Rose

As the outer bands of Hurricane Laura start to impact both Louisiana and Texas, power outages have already begun.

According to PowerOutage.US, there are over 13,000 customers without electricity in the states -- 8,912 in Texas and 4,115 in Louisiana.

Those numbers are expected to increase throughout the night and early morning.

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