As Hurricane Laura begins making landfall, the National Weather Service is using tornado watches for parts of Louisiana.
A tornado watch has been issued for parts of Louisiana and Texas until 9 PM CDT pic.twitter.com/hoiZxCR7kx
— NWS New Orleans (@NWSNewOrleans) August 26, 2020
Several thunderstorms have prompted a tornado warning in southern Louisiana, which is producing wind gusts up to 70 mph.
A special bulletin by the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center cautioned that “tornado potential is increasing.”
In western Louisiana, water levels are increasing, up to 3 feet already in some areas.
Reports show storm surge already rapidly rising at Holly Beach, LA and adjacent coastal areas. If you are under a mandatory evacuation, you should leave NOW! Once water levels rise in your area, it will be a sharp increase. By then it will be too late #txwx #lawx #hurricanelaura
— NWS Lake Charles (@NWSLakeCharles) August 26, 2020
“Reports show storm surge already rapidly rising at Holly Beach, LA and adjacent coastal areas,” NWS tweeted. “If you are under a mandatory evacuation, you should leave NOW!”