SAN ANTONIO – Tropical Storms Laura and Marco are expected to impact the Gulf Coast this week.
The Latest on Marco
As of Monday afternoon, Marco has weakened substantially, after briefly becoming a Category 1 Hurricane Sunday afternoon. Marco had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph as of 1PM Monday and was moving northwest at 6 mph.
The latest track from the National Hurricane Center - which can be seen below - has Marco making landfall as a tropical storm or depression Monday evening along the Louisiana coast, eventually dissipating to a remnant low Tuesday.
Impact to Texas
Marco is expected to weaken over Southeast Texas on Tuesday after skimming the Louisiana coastline. As what is ’leftover’ of Marco lingers over Texas on Tuesday and Wednesday, an increase in cloud cover and some isolated showers will be possible for San Antonio and a portion of the KSAT viewing area. However, rainfall totals won’t be impressive at all. Most yards will miss out on rain completely, and those that do see rain should expect less than a half-inch.
While forecast confidence has grown in regards to Marco’s track, there is still some uncertainty when it comes to the potential landfall of Tropical Storm Laura later this week.
Tropical Storm Laura
As of Monday afternoon, Laura was still a Tropical Storm near Cuba with sustained winds of 60 mph.
The latest track from the National Hurricane Center takes Tropical Storm Laura west into the Gulf of Mexico over the next couple of days. Laura is expected to strengthen into a Category 2 Hurricane before approaching the Gulf Coast on Wednesday.
Landfall is expected anywhere between Houston and Lafayette late on Wednesday. Trends in Laura’s track will be critical over the next couple of days, as even a subtle shift to the west could mean drastic changes to the forecast for the Beaumont and Houston areas.
Stay Informed
You can follow along with Your Weather Authority as we continue to track both Marco and Laura by downloading the KSAT Weather Authority app for Apple or Android. Be sure to allow notifications for updates, including livestreams from KSAT meteorologists.
Our KSAT Hurricane Tracker app also allows you to monitor the tropics from your phone during the Atlantic Hurricane Season, which runs until November 30.
Types of Tropical Systems
Tropical systems have various names, depending on their wind strength. Watch the video below as KSAT Meteorologist Sarah Spivey takes some time to explain the different tropical categories.
