Hurricane Laura reaches Category 4
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Hurricane Laura has strengthened into a Category 4 storm and is expected to make landfall east of Houston, near the Texas and Louisiana line, Wednesday night. Life-threatening impacts are expected for the Gulf states.
Laura Continues to Strengthen
Laura formed in the central Atlantic on Friday and has since moved into the Gulf of Mexico where it quickly strengthened into a hurricane.
Hurricane warnings run from San Luis Pass, Texas to Intracoastal City, Louisiana. Storm surge warnings are in place from Freeport, Texas to the mouth of the Mississippi River in Louisiana.
On Wednesday morning, the National Hurricane Center referred to the storm surge threat from Laura as "unsurvivable". Up to 20 feet of storm surge could flood much of southwestern Louisiana and far southeastern Texas.
Category 4 Landfalls Are Rare
Since 1851, only 26 hurricanes of a Category 4 or 5 strength have made landfall on the continental United States. That means that a Category 4 or 5 landfall on the United States takes place only once every six or seven years.
