Tropical Storms Laura And Marco Lash Different Parts Of Florida

MIAMI, FL — Tropical Storm Laura lashed at the southern end of Florida with strong winds and bands of rain Monday, while Tropical Storm Marco wreaked havoc in the northwestern end of the state on the anniversary of Hurricane Andrew, the storm by which all others are still measured in the Sunshine State.

"Today is probably the worst day for the state as a whole," senior meteorologist Robert Garcia with the National Weather Service in Miami acknowledged in an interview with Patch on Monday. "The Panhandle is still not completely out of the clear. We'll have to keep a little bit of an eye on Laura. But for right now, today is probably their worst day, too, just because Marco’s bands are up there."

Garcia said Floridians will have to deal with the potential for isolated tornadoes throughout the state and hazardous boating conditions for days as both storms wreak havoc along different parts of Florida's long coastline.

"Anywhere there is bands — whether be here, or up in the Panhandle — there is a risk of tornadoes, and if it’s over the water, water spouts," Garcia warned.

A tropical storm warning remained in effect Monday in the Florida Keys from Craig Key to Key West and Dry Tortugas.

Monroe County Mayor Heather Carruthers declared a local state of emergency ahead of Laura in Florida's southernmost county but rescinded her mandatory evacuation order Sunday for all liveaboard vessels, mobile homes, recreational vehicles, travel trailers and campers.

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People in recreational vehicles, trailers and other similar vehicles that are outside of Monroe County were told not to enter the Florida Keys until Tuesday. The area expects to see severe weather, isolated tornadoes and coastal flooding that is 3 to 6 inches higher than king tides, particularly on the Atlantic side.

While Florida is outside the forecast cone for Tropical Storm Laura, its winds extend outward 175 miles from the center.

Laura is expected to become a hurricane as it moves through the Gulf. Both Marco and Laura were expected to make landfall around the Louisiana cost within 48 hours of one another.

The U.S. Coast Guard in Key West set port condition Yankee for the Port of Key West on Sunday requiring all vessels larger than 300 gross tons to leave unless they get special approval. The port also temporarily suspended all cargo operations and handling of equipment.

Forecast tracks released by the National Hurricane Center showed Laura as a Category 1 hurricane Tuesday night. Laura was expected to remain a Category 1 storm at least through Thursday morning as it appeared headed for a possible landfall along the Texas and Louisiana coast. Laura is expected to be downgraded back to a tropical storm by Friday morning after the storm pushes inland.

"On the forecast track, the center of Laura will move over the Caribbean Sea just offshore of the southern coast of Cuba this afternoon, cross western Cuba this evening, and move into the southeastern Gulf of Mexico overnight," the National Hurricane Center said late Monday morning. "Laura is then forecast to move over the central and northwestern Gulf of Mexico Tuesday night and Wednesday, and approach the northwestern coast of the Gulf of Mexico Wednesday night."

Laura was about 65 miles east-southeast of Cayo Largo and about 145 miles east of the Isle of Youth as of 11 a.m. Monday. It had maximum sustained winds of 60 mph. The storm was moving west-northwest at 20 mph.

"In terms of Laura, it’s passing through the southern coast of Cuba right now," said Garcia on Monday morning. "Portions of South Florida, including the Florida Keys, are going to see bands of showers and storms. There could be wind gusts in the 40 to 50 mph range."

He said Laura was expected to enter the Gulf of Mexico on Monday night and remain offshore from the Florida coast.

"There will still be hazardous marine conditions, pretty much across, definitely, all of the Gulf waters and a good portion of the Atlantic waters offshore of Florida along the east coast, at least up until the Space Coast," Garcia added.

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

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

Marco was expected to remain a tropical storm as it moves through the Gulf toward Louisiana and Texas before becoming a tropical depression.

"Marco is forecast right now to kind of ease its way ... westward there just kind of parallel the Louisiana coast as it weakens, eventually reaching depression status at some point tomorrow," Garcia said on Monday. "From there, it will probably end up as an area of disturbed weather around Houston in eastern southeast Texas."

The National Hurricane Center said Laura was expected to bring 1 to 2 inches of rain to the Florida Keys through Tuesday.

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 Approaches
• Floridians 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.