PROJECT ALERT NOTICE (AL LA MS TX) Hurricanes Marco and Laura

Date: Thu, 27 Aug 2020 15:29:42 EDT

Summary: Lower Mississippi Gulf and Texas-Oklahoma WSCs respond to TS Marco and Hurricane Laura

Tropical storm Marco and Hurricane Laura were forecast to make landfall along the Gulf Coast during the week of Aug. 24-28. Field crews from the LMG and TX-OK WSCs installed 28 surge sensors and 11 wave height sensors on Aug. 23 in anticipation of the approaching storms. The sensors were located along a coastal reach from Port Lavaca, TX to Mobile Bay, AL.

TS Marco made landfall near the mouth of the Mississippi River on Aug. 24 with minimal impact to the area. Hurricane Laura made landfall near Cameron, LA as a category 4 hurricane on Aug. 27 bringing an estimated storm surge of near 10 ft in some areas. Seven real-time gages were damaged by the storm.

Planning is underway for retrieval of the deployed sensors, high water mark surveys, and gaging station repairs.