Worst-case storm surge from Hurricane Laura was avoided thanks to low tide

damaged homes in aftermath of Hurricane Laura

(Image credit: Eric Thayer/Getty Images)

published 27 August 2020

Hurricane Laura is barreling through Louisiana and Texas after making landfall with sustained winds of up to 150 miles per hour, just shy of a Category 5 hurricane.

Louisiana officials on Thursday reported the first death as a result of the storm: a teenage girl in Vernon Parish, Louisiana, was killed when a tree fell on a home. NBC News reports Laura was downgraded to a Category 2 hurricane shortly after it made landfall, and is expected to continue weakening as it moves inland.

While forecasters warned of "unsurvivable" storm surge, saying coastal areas could see surges up to 20 feet, the highest surge recorded was 11 feet, writes NBC. That's still dangerously high, but luckily the worst-case scenario was avoided thanks to the storm missing high tide and moving east of Lake Charles. However, since the storm hit at night in a mostly-evacuated region, "We may never fully know the extent of the surge," reports NBC.