Hurricane Laura: August 26, Update A

Yikes! A quick midday update is needed! Hurricane Laura took a turn for the worse and was recently upgraded to a cat 4 storm, exceeding everyone's thinking on intensity in this case. She's now a major mid-sized Cat 4 storm with winds of 140mph, central pressure 948mb. This is a big storm! (cat 4 range: 130-156mph) She has a very clear eye now ...

The track takes her right to that area on the border of LA/TX overnight, however she will remain a hurricane for at least a day as she moves inland and Tropical Storm for a day or two beyond that, so stormy weather for a few states. 

Her upper tropospheric vorticity (circulation) is also really strong, confirming her great structure: 

The storm surge is going to be pretty high on the east side of where the eye makes landfall - in some parts it's already over 4ft above predicted levels. Also, given the angle of approach and the angle of the coastline there, it is also going to be higher than usual on the eastern side - and it's already about 2ft above predicted levels in the Galveston Bay area. 

I'll be back later... be safe out there! 

J. 

Twitter: jyovianstorm

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DISCLAIMER:
These remarks are just what I think/see regarding tropical storms - not the opinion of any organization I represent. If you are making an evacuation decision, please heed your local emergency management and the National Hurricane Center's official forecast and local weather service announcements. This is not an official forecast. If I "run away, run away" (Monty Python), I'll let you know. 
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