Marco and Laura update: Tropical Storm Marco tracking toward Louisiana coast;

RALEIGH (WTVD) — As tropical storm Marco and Laura move through warm waters — they are slowly but surely– making their way to hurricane status.

It’s official, there are now two tropical storms in the Atlantic Ocean: Tropical Storm Marco and Laura, according to the National Hurricane Center.

If forecasts are correct, we could see something that has never happened before: two hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico at the same time. We have seen two systems in the gulf before. There were two tropical storms in the Gulf of Mexico back in 1959, one named Beulah and the other an unnamed storm. And in 1933, a Hurricane and Tropical Storm both hit the U.S.

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Tropical Depression Fourteen officially strengthened into Tropical Storm Marco just before 11 p.m. Friday and is gaining strength. The system formed over the northwestern Caribbean Sea.

Marco has maximum sustained winds of 70 miles per hour and is moving north-northwest through the Gulf of Mexico at 13 miles per hour.

Marco is expected to make landfall on the Louisiana coast as a Category 1 hurricane late Monday into early Tuesday.

Tropical Depression Thirteen officially strengthened into Tropical Storm Laura around 9 a.m. Friday.

Tropical Storm Laura is currently still farther east and over Hispaniola. Some land interaction could weaken it but Laura is now expected to make landfall as a Category 2 hurricane close to the same area previously hit by Marco

Laura now has maximum sustained winds at 45 miles per hour with gusts up to 60 mph and is moving west-northwest at 18 mph.

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KEY POINTS:

• Marco will make landfall Tuesday and Laura will make landfall Wednesday.
• This could be the first time we have two hurricanes in the Gulf.
• There will be no direct impacts to North Carolina.

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