8.22.20 – MERIDIAN, Miss. (WTOK)
A Hurricane Watch has been issued for the Mississippi Gulf Coast and for Southeast Louisiana. This includes Metro New Orleans. A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for the Alabama Coast. This includes Metro Mobile.
The Hurricane Watch is from Intracoastal City, Louisiana to the Mississippi-Alabama state line. The Tropical Storm Watch is from the Mississippi-Alabama state line to the Alabama-Florida state line.
A Storm Surge Watch is in effect from Sabine Pass to the Alabama-Florida state line, including Lake Pontchartrain.
A Hurricane Watch means hurricane conditions are possible within 48 hours. A Tropical Storm Watch means tropical storm conditions are possible within 48 hours.ADVERTISEMENThttps://d4230f3290900fad0693c96e7fa986f5.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.html
These watches, issued at 4 PM Saturday by the National Hurricane Center, were prompted by a sharp change in the forecast of Tropical Storm Marco. At 4 PM, Marco was entering the southern Gulf of Mexico through the Yucatan Straits with winds of 65 mph. Marco is expected to become a hurricane before making landfall near just south of New Orleans on Monday.
On the current forecast track, Marco can impact East Mississippi and West Alabama. Primary impacts locally will be heavy rain, gusty winds up to 50 mph, and possible tornadoes.
Coastal impacts include destructive wind, life-threatening storm surge flooding, heavy rainfall, flash flooding, tornadoes, and deadly rip currents from Texas to Florida.
Tropical Storm Laura is also still a potential threat. It is currently located near the Dominican Republic and tracking toward the Gulf of Mexico on Monday. It is expected to impact the northern Gulf Coast on Wednesday.
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