Hurricane Laura is forecasted to make landfall as a Category 4 sometime between tonight and Thursday morning.
The particularly worrisome news is that the storm may coincide with local tides to generate a particularly intense storm surge. (1)
washingtonpost.com/weather/2020/0…
"Laura may strike near high tide, inundating coastal areas of western LA to the TX border under ~15-20 ft of water. The Hurricane Center warned of an 'unsurvivable' surge with 'large and destructive waves' and wrote areas up to 30 miles inland could be inundated." (2)
For comparison, storm surges associated with Hurricane Katrina in 2005 reached 25-28 feet.
Hurricane Sandy generated a storm surge of nearly 14 feet in the Manhattan area. (3)
Highest storm surge will occur within the radius of maximum winds, where the strongest winds are blowing onshore. This will be east of the storm's center, likely the Louisiana coast. (4)
The 4th Nat'l Climate Assessment found storm surges today are 8 inches above those of 1900, due to sea lvl rise. By 2100, storm surges may happen on top of one to several additional feet of global sea lvl rise relative to the year 2000. (5)
If you are living near the coast in upper Texas or in Louisiana, you should act now to prepare. Follow any evacuation orders and instructions issued by local or state officials. Please stay safe! (END)
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