As the Gulf Coast braces for two tropical weather system impacts, people in New Orleans are getting a bit of a reprieve. At Sunday’s 4:00 p.m. update, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) shifted the forecasted track for Hurricane Marco, stating that they now expect the storm to remain more offshore, finally coming inland closer to Lake Charles. At 10:00 p.m. there was more good news – Marco has been downgraded to a tropical storm.
But don’t breathe too easy just yet. While New Orleans is no longer in the forecast cone for either Tropical Storm Marco or Tropical Storm Laura, the city is still expected to get between 4-6 inches of rain on Monday, and 4-6 more when Laura comes ashore later this week.
“While the details of the long-range track and intensity forecasts remain uncertain, Laura is forecast to strengthen over the Gulf of Mexico and there is an increasing risk of storm surge, wind, and rainfall impacts along portions of the U.S. Gulf Coast by the middle of the week,” NHC said in their Key Messages statement. “This could result in a prolonged period of hazardous weather for areas that are likely to be affected by Marco. Interests along the Gulf Coast should monitor the progress of Lara and Marco and updates to the forecast during the next couple of days.”
