Hurricane Laura intensifies, expected to be Category 4 as it lands in Texas and Louisiana

Hurricane Laura is strengthening and is ready to strike the upper Texas coast and western Louisiana. The storm, which intensified from a Category 1 to Category 3 overnight, is forecast to make landfall as a “catastrophic” Category 4 between Houston and Lake Charles, La., on Wednesday or early Thursday morning. Hurricane and storm surge warnings are in effect. Beaumont and Port Arthur, Tex., severely damaged during Hurricane Harvey in 2017, may be near the point of landfall, officials have ordered evacuations. Depending on the timing, Laura may strike near high tide, flooding areas of western Louisiana and parts of Texas as far as 30 miles inland with between 10 to 15 feet of storm surge. Laura may also unleash a swath of destructive winds over 120 mph near where it makes landfall. Areas farther inland will still be affected by strong winds and heavy rain. Heavy rain is predicted to be widespread across the west-central Gulf Coast near the Texas and Louisiana border, with 5 to 10 inches falling over a broad area, and locally up 15 inches, leading to areas of flash flooding.