Laura is now a depression, less than 24 hours after striking Louisiana as a Category 4 hurricane early Thursday morning.
The center of Laura has moved into Arkansas, dumping heavy rain there. There was also a tornado watch for parts of Arkansas late Thursday.
Laura made landfall near Cameron, Louisiana at about 1 a.m. CT on Thursday as an "extremely dangerous" Category 4 storm with 150 mph sustained winds, and “unsurvivable storm surge.”
Troopers are continuing to observe strong winds and inclement weather across the state from Hurricane #Laura.
This video taken from LSP Troop E in Alexandria demonstrates the wind force and dangerous driving conditions.
Utilize https://t.co/y4phaNfCw1 for road conditions. pic.twitter.com/W16RGmwnZj— LA State Police (@LAStatePolice) August 27, 2020
The Category 4 rating makes Laura the strongest hurricane to make landfall in Louisiana in at least 60 years, according to the National Weather Service.
There are reports that six people have died from the storm, including a 14-year-old girl who died when a tree fell on her family's home. The governor is expectingmore deaths to be reported.
As Laura moved over land Thursday morning, it lost much of its energy and was quickly downgraded in strength. There are concerns about tornadoes spinning up on the fringes of the storm and still the possibility of dangerous storm surge as the outer bands pick up ocean water and carry it over land.
As the sun comes over Lake Charles, Guardsmen deploy to clear roadways to assess damages from #Laura. #ProtectWhatMatters pic.twitter.com/xf1ZWVvf8p
— LA National Guard (@LANationalGuard) August 27, 2020
The storm surge remains dangerous and could send water from rivers and lakes into nearby streets and towns. Flash flood warnings are in effect for a large section of Louisiana, from the coast up to north of Lake Charles, near Fort Polk. Experts expect flood waters will not recede for several days.
On early Thursday morning, NOAA's Coastal Inundation Dashboard showed storm surge warnings all across Louisiana's shoreline. The dashboard also noted that readings from Calcasieu Pass — a tributary near Cameron that flows into the Gulf of Mexico — showed that surge was recorded at about 9 feet as of 1:30 a.m. CT.
The storm is moving northeast, and could bring heavy rain to the Missouri Valley and Ohio Valley regions Friday and through the weekend.
The impact to Texas’ coast remains minor, with coastal flooding and a high risk of rip currents, according to the National Weather Service.
The National Hurricane Center issued an "extreme wind warning" for areas of Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana at about 11 p.m. ET on Wednesday. A fairly new and rarely-used warning, it's issued for areas expected to see winds of 115 mph or higher. Residents in the affected areas are urged to find a low-lying interior room and protect their heads.
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Laura comes to the US after killing nearly two dozen people, including 20 in Haiti and three in the Dominican Republic, where it knocked out power and caused flooding.
