NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft this morning found that a tropical depression near the Leeward Islands has strengthened to Tropical Storm Laura.
Laura, with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph, is the 12th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, and the earliest “L” storm on record, beating out Hurricane Luis, which formed Aug. 29, 1995.
Laura is on track toward Florida and the Gulf Coast early next week. But the aircraft also found that the center of Laura is located south of the previously estimated position, the National Hurricane Center said.
Those changes are expected to be reflected in the track and intensity forecasts with the upcoming advisory that will be issued at 11 a.m. at www.hurricanes.gov
