The 10PM advisory shows Hurricane Laura is still a Category 4 storm with 150 mile per hour sustained winds. Only one hurricane on record has made landfall in Louisiana at that intensity, and that was back in 1856. The advisory calls for CATASTROPHIC STORM SURGE, EXTREME WINDS, AND FLASH FLOODING EXPECTED TONIGHT AND EARLY THURSDAY.
The storm is about 75 miles south of Lake Charles with a landfall still expected around 1am. A Tornado watch is in effect until 8am as far north as Winn Parish and as far east as Lake Pontchartrain.
State officials are alerting residents that mass power outages in the path of the storm are highly likely, and could persist for days after landfall. Entergy Louisiana is preparing to respond, and CEO Phillip May says crews are station just outside of harms way and ready to move into effected areas the moment the winds allow them to do so.
Along with incredible power, Laura is set to flood most of Cameron Parish and bring up to 20 feet of storm surge to the southwest Louisiana coast. Governor Edwards warns I-10 is likely to be overtopped in many areas in the southwest, and many structures will be flattened.
Governor Edwards announces the closure of portions of I-10. I-10 eastbound is closed at the Texas-Louisiana line, and westbound is closed at that Atchafalaya Basin because of expected flooding.
Laura is so powerful it is expected to maintain hurricane strength up to Shreveport. Joel Cline with the National Hurricane Center says it’s set to drop half a foot of rain in just a few hours along its path.