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WeatherMatrix
AccuWeather Meteorologist and Social Media Manager Jesse Ferrell covers extreme weather and the intersection of meteorology and social media.
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Weather Blogs / WeatherMatrix
2 hurricanes to strike New Orleans in 2 days?
Published Aug 22, 2020 9:42 PM EST
The forecast tonight is something I thought I'd never see. Not only are two hurricanes likely in the Gulf of Mexico next week -- which has never been recorded* -- but both are projected to hit just to the west of New Orleans, delivering a destructive double-whammy to the city that was nearly destroyed by Hurricane Katrina 15 years ago this month. Geez, 2020.
AccuWeather forecasts as of 00Z 8/23/2020 show Hurricane Laura arriving near New Orleans within 36 hours of each other.
NHC forecasts as of 00Z 8/23/2020 show Hurricane Laura arriving near New Orleans within 48 hours of each other.
Fortunately, we're still a few days out, at least from Laura's forecast, so her track will probably change and hopefully we avert this potential disaster. Let's hope the forecasts of Category 1 don't increase.
Right now, Marco is entering the Gulf of Mexico and Laura is over Hispaniola after dousing Puerto Rico with nearly 6 inches of rain in some areas, causing flood warnings. The Rio Guanajibo River near Hormigueros has risen about 6 feet so far.
*In the tweet below, I explain the historical parallels of having two tropical storms in the Gulf of Mexico at the same time: