Some Florida Evacuations Ordered For Laura; TX and LA Await Marco

MIAMI, FL — Much of Florida appeared to catch a break from possible Hurricane Laura, while Texas and Louisiana are preparing for Marco. Laura was designated a tropical storm Friday morning, and forecasters cautioned that the storm is still a few days out and could shift.

The National Hurricane Center released updated forecast models that confirm the extraordinary possibility both storms might be churning through the Gulf of Mexico around the same time. The forecast track for Laura shifted toward the west of Florida Friday and removed most of the state from the cone of concern, though forecasters cautioned it is too soon to predict the exact path Laura will follow.

"We want to make sure people don't focus too much on the exact cone location, because the cone references the likely area of where the center of the storm would track, and that's based purely on statistics," Warning Coordination Meteorologist Robert Molleda with the National Weather Service in Miami told Patch.

"The cone does not recognize the size of the storm, so if you have a large storm — especially for larger storms — the impacts could extend well away from the center," Molleda said.

He urged Floridians to prepare for Laura. "We don't want people to let their guard down, especially this early on," he said. "It's close enough to us that we still have to pay attention to this."

Forecast tracks released by the National Hurricane Center showed Laura as a Category 1 hurricane around 2 p.m. Tuesday and remaining a Category 1 storm through at least 2 p.m. Wednesday as the storm passes through the Gulf of Mexico into the northwest portion of the Florida Panhandle, parts of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.

"On the forecast track, the center of Laura will move near or over portions of the Leeward Islands tonight, near or over Puerto Rico Saturday morning, and near the northern coast of Hispaniola Saturday night and early Sunday," the National Hurricane Center said at 8 p.m. Friday.

Marco, which will be the name given to what was still Tropical Depression 14, is expected to be a Category 1 storm as of 2 p.m. Monday. The National Hurricane Center shows it coming ashore as a tropical storm around 2 p.m. Tuesday before becoming a tropical depression by 2 p.m. Wednesday as the storm moves inland.

Laura was about 250 miles east-southeast of San Juan as of 8 p.m. Friday. It had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph. The storm was moving west at 17 mph.

The Florida Division of Emergency Management has pre-staged a mobile hospital unit in Marion ahead of Laura. The mobile hospital unit will assist hospitals that experience impacts from the storm.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday sent a letter to President Donald Trump requesting the president declare a pre-landfall emergency in 34 of the state's 67 counties ahead of Laura. The counties include Broward, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas and Sarasota.

State emergency management officials have special PPE kits available for storm shelters that include hand sanitizer, masks and gloves.

Monroe County Mayor Heather Carruthers declared a local state of emergency ahead of Laura and ordered a mandatory evacuation of all liveaboard vessels, mobile homes, recreational vehicles, travel trailers and campers.

County officials said general population shelters will open at 3 p.m. Sunday for people who live in "vulnerable homes or aboard boats." Monroe county includes Key West and the Florida Keys.

The National Hurricane Center said the center of Laura was located by specially equipped hurricane aircraft south of where it was previously thought to be.

"Laura could bring storm surge, rainfall and wind impacts to portions of Cuba, the Bahamas and Florida early next week and the northern U.S. Gulf Coast by the middle of next week," the National Hurricane Center said at 5 p.m. Friday.

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Weather researchers predict the 2020 Atlantic hurricane system will be "extremely active," with the potential to be one for the record books.

See related:

• AT&T On Emergency Standby As Tropical Storm Laura ApproachesFloridians Prefer To Stay Home Than Seek Hurricane Shelter: USF
• 2020 Hurricane Season May Bring Record Number Of Storms
• 2020 Hurricane Season Brings Uncertainty, Sleepless Nights
• 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season List Of Names

An average season produces 12 named storms, including six hurricanes of which three become major Category 3 storms or above with top winds of at least 111 mph.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in its updated seasonal outlook earlier this month that we could see a total of 19-25 named storms with winds of at least 39 mph, of which seven to 11 will become hurricanes, including three to six major hurricanes.