The National Hurricane Center projected that Laura will become a Category 3 hurricane before landfall, with winds of around 185 km/h, capable of devastating damage. The waters are very warm where the storm is now and will be for the entire path up until the Gulf Coast," Rappaport said. In this graphic, you can see that the expected impacts due to strong wind and storm surge extend well beyond the #Laura forecast "cone". The hurricane center warned people not to focus on the details of the official forecast, however, since "storm surge, wind, and rainfall hazards will extend well away from Laura's centre along the Gulf Coast." In Waveland, Miss., a coastal town devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Jeremy Burke said "our biggest threat down here is the storm surge."

Source: CBC News August 25, 2020 15:41 UTC