Hurricane Laura is expected to crash into the Louisiana and Texas coasts as a Category 3 storm on Wednesday evening. At least 20 million people are in the storm’s path and half a million have been ordered to evacuate immediately.
The hurricane, currently a Category 2, was “rapidly intensifying” over the Gulf of Mexico early Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center said, adding that it’s expected to “produce a life-threatening storm surge, extreme winds and flash flooding over eastern Texas and Louisiana.”
Laura was located about 360 miles south/southeast of Lake Charles, Louisiana and 380 miles southeast of Galveston, Texas, according to the hurricane center. It was moving west/northwest at 17 mph and had maximum sustained winds of 105 mph.
