Hurricane Laura
Hurricane Laura was a deadly and destructive tropical cyclone that is tied with the 1856 Last Island hurricane and 2021's Hurricane Ida as the strongest hurricane on record to make landfall in the U.S. state of Louisiana, as measured by maximum sustained winds. The twelfth named storm, fourth hurricane, and first major hurricane of the record-breaking 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, Laura originated from a large tropical wave that moved off the West African coast on August 16 and became a tropical depression on August 20. Laura intensified into a tropical storm a day later, becoming the earliest twelfth named storm on record in the North Atlantic basin, forming eight days earlier than 1995's Hurricane Luis.
Laura first hit the Lesser Antilles and brushed Puerto Rico as a tropical storm, then moved across the island of Hispaniola, killing 31 people in Haiti and four in the Dominican Republic. The storm then moved across the length of Cuba, prompting tropical storm warnings and the evacuation of more than 260,000 people there. Subsequently, the outer rainbands extended into the Florida Keys and South Florida. Laura then moved across the Gulf of Mexico, strengthening slowly at first, before a period of rapid intensification on August 26. That day, Laura became a major hurricane, and later attained its peak 1-minute sustained winds of, making it a Category 4 hurricane. The approaching storm prompted the issuing of many warnings and watches for Louisiana, as well as the evacuation of many people.
Early on August 27, Laura made landfall near peak intensity on Cameron, Louisiana. Measured by windspeed, Laura was the tenth-strongest U.S. hurricane on record to made landfall in the U.S. The effects of Laura across Louisiana were devastating. Nearly 10-foot high storm surge was recorded in Cameron Parish. Numerous parishes had severe flooding and extreme damage to houses. Several roads had to be closed, and drivers were advised to use different routes. The storm caused the deaths of 30 people in the state alone. Texas and Arkansas were struck notably hard as well. The storm caused the deaths of at least 41 people in the United States. An estimated $23.3 billion in damages was inflicted on southwestern Louisiana and southeastern Texas near the Gulf of Mexico.
After landfall, Laura caused significant wind damage in southwest and central Louisiana before becoming a tropical storm later that day. It weakened further to a tropical depression over Arkansas the next day. On August 29, Laura degenerated into a remnant low over Kentucky, before being absorbed into another extratropical storm near the East Coast of the U.S. shortly afterward. Overall, Laura caused more than $23.3 billion in damage and 81 deaths. Areas that were affected by Laura, namely the Gulf Coast, were affected again six weeks later by Hurricane Delta.
Meteorological history
On August 16, 2020, a tropical wave along the eastern end of a monsoon trough emerged off the west coast of Africa over the Atlantic Ocean. At this time, the National Hurricane Center noted the possibility of tropical cyclogenesis over the next five days as environmental conditions gradually became more favorable for development. The system produced disorganized convection over a broad area and steadily consolidated. A surface low accompanied by organizing banding features coalesced about west-southwest of the Cape Verde islands. By 03:00 UTC on August 20, the low and accompanying convection became sufficiently organized to be classified as a tropical depression, the thirteenth of the season, about east-southeast of the Leeward Islands. The depression moved briskly west-northwest in response to the Bermuda High to the north, a high that would steer the system throughout its lifetime. After struggling to intensify for over a day, the depression center reformed and an increase an organization and the presence of tropical storm-force winds prompted an upgrade to tropical storm status and storm was named Laura. This marked the earliest classification of a season's twelfth named storm since reliable records began in 1851, surpassing the previous record set by Hurricane Luis, on August 28, 1995. Moderate wind shear hampered further development through August 22, displacing the bulk of convection east of the surface circulation. Early on August 22, Laura traversed the Virgin Islands and sideswiped Puerto Rico to the south before making landfall in the southeastern Dominican Republic with maximum sustained winds of early on August 23.Despite interacting with the mountainous terrain of Hispaniola, the overall structure of Laura actually improved with little intensity loss. Laura subsequently traversed Haiti and emerged over the Windward Passage. Once back over water, the storm intensified some and made a brief landfall around 00:00 UTC on August 24 in Santiago de Cuba Province, Cuba, with winds of before emerging over the Caribbean along Cuba's southern coast. Laura's structure briefly degraded on August 24 before it reorganized and traversed Pinar del Río Province in western Cuba, early on August 25. Maintaining a west-northwest trajectory, Laura entered the southeastern Gulf of Mexico and quickly organized throughout August 25, reaching hurricane-strength by 12:15 UTC. After moving out of an area of dry air, the hurricane began a period of rapid intensification on August 26. The storm grew in size and featured a well-defined eye surrounded by increasingly symmetric deep convection. By 12:00 UTC, Laura strengthened into a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson scale before becoming a Category 4 hurricane six hours later. Continuing to strengthen into August 27, Laura reached its peak intensity of, a high-end Category 4 hurricane, and a minimum pressure of 937 mbar. At this time, the hurricane turned north toward the Texas–Louisiana coastline within a weakness along the western edge of the Bermuda High.
Little change in intensity took place in the few hours before Hurricane Laura made landfall near Cameron, Louisiana, around 06:00 UTC on August 27 near peak strength, as its pressure had risen by 2 mbar. Laura matched the strength of the 1856 Last Island hurricane for strongest landfall in the state and was the first Category 4 landfall on record in southwestern Louisiana. Progressing inland across southwestern Louisiana, Laura produced destructive winds over a wide area, although the storm rapidly weakened as it progressed farther inland. Steady filling of the storm and the disappearance of its eye ensued throughout the day, and Laura weakened to a tropical storm by 17:00 UTC about east-southeast of Shreveport. Maintaining tropical storm-force winds, the system progressed into southwestern Arkansas. By August 28, Laura degraded to a tropical depression over central Arkansas; heavy rain became the primary threat across the Southeast. Around that time, the NHC issued their final advisory on Laura, passing on the responsibility for issuing advisories to the Weather Prediction Center. Gradually losing tropical characteristics, the weakening storm accelerated east-northeast within the mid-latitude westerlies. The system ultimately degenerated into a remnant low over Kentucky early on August 29, as it began merging with an approaching extratropical storm. Laura's remnant low continued moving eastward, before being absorbed into the approaching extratropical system several hours later over Maryland.
Preparations
Lesser Antilles and Virgin Islands
In preparation for the storm, schools were closed in Anguilla and Antigua. A tropical storm watch was issued for several islands in the group on August 20, being upgraded to a warning the next day. The storm prompted the closing of all ports in the British Virgin Islands.Dominican Republic
A tropical storm warning was issued covering the coast from Punta Palenque to the northern Haitian border. A red alert was also issued for 18 provinces, a yellow alert for 8, and a green alert for 6.Haiti
Haitian authorities urged people to evacuate to shelters, and to remember to wear masks and respect social distancing orders in the areas due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Jamaica and Cayman Islands
Although the center of Laura was forecast to remain north of Jamaica, associated rainbands on the southern side of the circulation were anticipated to bring significant precipitation. On August 23, the Jamaican Meteorological Service issued a flash flood watch for low-lying areas nationwide. This was later upgraded to a flash flood warning on August 24 as torrential rains affected the nation.Originally, the bulk of the storm was forecasted to stay north of the Cayman Islands, but as the forecast kept on shifting further southwest of earlier forecast, the projections of significant precipitation and for Tropical Storm conditions continued to increase. The Cayman Islands Government issued Tropical Storm Warning for their Islands on August 23. This was in addition to the Severe Weather Statements and Flood Warnings that were already posted.