Tropical Storm Marco strengthening quickly, to become hurricane today

Tropical Storm Marco is strengthening quickly and is expected to become a hurricane today ahead of initial predictions, according to a National Hurricane Center update. 

Marco is moving from the Virgin Islands, eastern Puerto Rico, and the adjacent Caribbean waters north-northwest at 12 mph, and this general motion is expected to continue through Sunday morning.

The tropical storm is expected to move across the central Gulf of Mexico as a hurricane and to approach the central Gulf Coast on Monday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Tropical Storm Marco: What to expect in Texas

There is an increasing risk of impacts from storm surge, winds and heavy rainfall from the upper Texas coast to Louisiana early next week. Storm surge, tropical storm or hurricane watches could be issued later today, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 65 mph with higher gusts. Additional strengthening is forecast during the next day or two, with a weakening forecast ahead on Monday and Tuesday.

A tropical storm warning is in effect for: 

• Province of Pinar del Rio Cuba
• Cancun to Dzilam Mexico​​​​​​

Hurricane watch and tropical storm warning has been discontinued for: 

• The eastern Yucatan coast south of Cancun.

Could Tropical Storms Laura, Marco collide? 

As of the 11 a.m. EST advisory from the National Hurricane Center, Laura was 20 miles southwest of Ponce, Puerto Rico, with 40 mph winds and moving west at 18 mph.

The storm is forecast to reach hurricane strength early next week in the Gulf of Mexico before making landfall Wednesday somewhere between Florida’s Panhandle and western Louisiana with 75 mph winds.

Both storms are forecast to strike the U.S. within a day of each other, forecasters said. Marco’s path is heading toward Texas, while Laura’s path has moved away from Florida and toward Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. 

With Tropical Storms Laura and Marco both forecast to be in the Gulf of Mexico together early next week, you might wonder if they could potentially collide or perhaps form one huge hurricane. 

Weather.us meteorologist Jack Sillin said that if one storm is much stronger than the other, the weaker system will usually weaken substantially or dissipate as a result of the interaction. 

Marco spaghetti models: See Tropical Storm Marco as storm approaches Texas

An ‘extremely active’ hurricane season: Up to 25 named storms are possible, NOAA says

Contributing: Kimberly Miller, The Palm Beach Post, Doyle Rice, USA TODAY

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