As 2 storms menace Gulf Coast, residents brace for deluge

Aug 25, 20200

Gerald Herbert – Associated Press count

Joe Marshall of the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority - West secures a floodgate they just closed in Harvey, La., just outside New Orleans, Monday, Aug. 24, 2020, in advance of Hurricane Marco, expected to come near the Southern Louisiana coast.

NEW ORLEANS - As two powerful storms menaced the Gulf Coast Monday, forecasters feared Marco would drive sea water onto the shore and unleash torrential rains just two days before Laura lashes the same region with potentially more powerful storm surge and hurricane-force winds.

Forecasters raised the ominous possibility that warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico could super-charge Laura into a powerful hurricane. Laura's center was remaining just off Cuba's shore, and was not expected to weaken over land before entering the gulf.

"Laura will be moving over the very warm and deep waters of Gulf Stream and Loop Current located over the southeastern Gulf, which could trigger a brief period of rapid intensification," the National Hurricane Center wrote in a Monday morning update.

https://www.startribune.com/as-2-storms-menace-gulf-coast-residents-brace-for-deluge/572204702/