Tropical Storm Marco forms; joins Tropical Storm Laura as both make their way to Gulf
Tropical Storm Marco has formed over the northwestern Caribbean, according to National Hurricane Center forecasters, joining Tropical Storm Laura as two named storms make their way to the Gulf of Mexico.
The storm, previously Tropical Depression 14, was located about 180 miles southeast of Cozumel, Mexico, the NHC said in its 10 p.m. update. It is moving north-northwest at 13 mph with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph.
New Orleans is in the middle of the storms’ expected landfall locations.
Marco is expected to continue a slightly slower northwestward motion for the next day or say, NHC forecasters said, before an increase in forward speed is expected by early next week.
On the forecast track, Marco’s center will approach the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula on Saturday and then move into the central Gulf of Mexico toward the northwestern Gulf on Sunday and Monday. The NHC said Marco could be near hurricane strength when it moves over the central Gulf of Mexico and could strike the Texas coast on Tuesday.
The system became a tropical storm on Friday evening after Tropical Storm Laura, previously Tropical Depression 13, formed in the Atlantic Ocean earlier in the day.
In the 10 p.m. update, Laura’s track moved a bit more west, located about 195 miles east-southeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The storm is moving west-northwest at 18 mph with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph.
Tropical Storm Laura’s 10 p.m. forecast for Friday, Aug. 21, 2020, has the storm making landfall potentially as a Category 1 Hurricane on Wednesday night.
On the forecast track, Laura’s center will move near or over portions of the Leeward Islands Friday night, near or over Puerto Rico Saturday morning and near the northern coast of Hispaniola Saturday night and early Sunday.
The New Orleans area is at the dead center of Laura’s cone of uncertainty, with the storm expected to make landfall on the Gulf Coast as a Category 1 hurricane on Wednesday night.
Two named storms coexisting in the Gulf of Mexico at the same time hasn’t happened since 1959, according to one meteorologist. Experts, however, say Laura and Marco are likely to remain far apart to have much of an impact on each others’ track or intensity.
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