High winds, several inches of rain expected with Laura incoming

Flash flooding and high winds are possible Wednesday and Thursday in the Texarkana region as Hurricane Laura tracks north.

Laura is expected to intensify over the Gulf of Mexico and become a major hurricane prior to striking upper Texas or southwest Louisiana coasts late today or early Thursday.

Specific impacts locally will be determined by Laura's track northward from Louisiana and Texas into Arkansas. Full impact is expected Thursday afternoon when several inches of rain is expected, according to the National Weather Service.

Flash flooding will be a concern and even as Laura moves into Arkansas, it is likely to maintain tropical storm strength which means sustained winds of 30 to 40 mph with gusts up to 50 mph, according to the NWS.

Ground that is already saturated could be a concern, said Miller County Office of Emergency Management Director Joe Bennett.

"Since we have endured heavy rainfall recently, we could see downed trees due to saturated ground. There is a possibility of 4 to 6 inches of rainfall depending on how fast the storm moves through our area, so flash flooding could occur between Thursday morn from 7 a.m. to Friday morning at 7 a.m." Bennett said.

Isolated tornadoes could also be possible.

A hazardous weather outlook has been issued for Bowie and Miller Counties and also Cass, Titus, and Red River in Northeast Texas and Sevier, Howard, Little River, Hempstead, Nevada, Miller and Lafayette in Southwest Arkansas.

At this time, no arrangements have been made for area shelters to open, but OEM has been in contact with the Red Cross to prepare if Red Cross shelters are needed, Bennett said.

Other area shelters and churches who wish to open are encouraged to contact Bennett at [email protected]. OEM will generate a list of shelters and put that info out via media, social media, and radio. OEM is preparing for the eventual influx of people escaping the storms in the south, so area hotels are encouraged to lift any restrictions to out of state citizens.

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