Tropical Storm Laura Update - Tuesday August 25, 4am

Click HERE to see the 4am NWS Slide for TS Laura. 

Changes from previous update: 

• The forecast intensity has increased slightly from the previous advisory.

Overview:

• Tropical Storm Laura is forecast to move generally west-northwestward across the Gulf of Mexico today and is expected to bring impacts to the northern Gulf coast by Wednesday.

Confidence:

• If the current forecast holds, we are confident that minor/moderate impacts will be experienced across portions of SE LA and S MS.

Impacts:

Storm Surge:

• Storm Surge Flooding:

  • Morgan City to MS River: 4-6 ft inundation possible

  • MS River to Ocean Springs: 3-5 ft inundation possible

  • Lakes Pontchartrain and Maurepas: 2-4 ft inundation possible

  • Ocean Springs to AL Border: 1-3 ft possible

• Expect several low-lying, coastal roads to become impassable due to flooding. 

• Some areas may become cut off or inaccessible 

Wind and tornado:

• Sustained tropical storm force winds with higher gusts will be possible Wednesday into Wednesday night with the highest threat for locations along the Louisiana coast west of the Mississippi River and locations along the Atchafalaya River west of Baton Rouge.

• These winds could result in minor damage mainly to trees, powerlines, and weaker structures.  A few trees may fall and block roadways or damage structures.

• A few tornadoes will be possible in the storm’s rain bands. Tornadoes in these situations are typically short-lived, but they move very quickly.

Rainfall/Flooding:

• There is potential for heavy rainfall if/where any of Laura's outer bands track

• Expect ponding of water in low lying areas and some potential for localized flash flooding

The attached briefing below highlights the threats associated with this system.

Additional Information and Resources:
NWS New Orleans Website: www.weather.gov/neworleans
NWS New Orleans DSS Website: http://www.weather.gov/lix/embrief
NWS New Orleans Tropical Page: https://www.weather.gov/srh/tropical?office=lix
River Gauges and Forecasts: http://water.weather.gov/ahps2/index.php?wfo=lix
NWS New Orleans Facebook: www.facebook.com/NWSNewOrleans
NWS New Orleans Twitter: https://twitter.com/NWSNewOrleans
Online Severe Weather Reporting: https://www.weather.gov/lix/submit_storm_report
National Hurricane Center Website: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

Next Update and Contact Information:
The next update will be sent following the 10 AM advisory.  If you have any questions in the interim or need additional information, please do not hesitate to contact us.  We can be reached by phone at 504-522-7330 or 985-649-0429.  Use extension 4 to speak with a forecaster.  Alternatively, you can reach us by email by replying to this message or sending an email to sr-lix.forecasters@noaa.gov. Both methods will be delivered to the forecasters on shift at the office.
 

Regards,
Erickson
Meteorologist
NWS New Orleans/Baton Rouge