1. Tropical storm force winds, especially in gusts, will continuenear the center of Laura over portions of extreme northern Louisianaand Arkansas this evening.

2. Flash flooding along small streams, urban areas, and roadwayswill continue across portions of Louisiana, Mississippi andArkansas. Additional rainfall will also lead to minor to moderatefreshwater river flooding. The heavy rainfall threat and flash andurban flooding potential will spread northeastward into themiddle-Mississippi, lower Ohio and Tennessee Valleys, andMid-Atlantic States Friday and Saturday.

3. A few tornadoes are possible this evening across central andeastern Arkansas into Mississippi. The risk for a few tornadoesshould redevelop Friday afternoon and evening across parts of theMid-South and Tennessee Valley regions.

CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY:

The Storm Surge Warning along the Gulf coast has been discontinued.

SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT:

There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect. Tropical storm warnings remain in effect inland over portions of northern Louisiana, southern Arkansas, and extreme western Mississippi.

For storm information specific to your area, including possible inland watches and warnings, please monitor products issued by your local National Weather Service forecast office.

Key messages for Laura can be found in the Tropical Cyclone Discussion under AWIPS header MIATCDAT3 and WMO header WTNT43 KNHC.

RAINFALL: Through Friday Laura is expected to produce the following additional rainfall totals: Over central and eastern Arkansas: 3 to 7 inches. Over southern Louisiana and southern Mississippi: 1 to 3 inches, with isolated additional totals of 5 inches. Isolated storm totals of 15 to 18 inches across southwest Louisiana. Over northern Mississippi, western Tennessee, and southeast Missouri: 1 to 3 inches, with isolated totals of 5 inches. This rainfall will continue to cause widespread flash and urban flooding, small streams and creeks to overflow their banks, and minor to moderate freshwater river flooding. Through Saturday, Laura is expected to produce 1 to 3 inches with isolated maximum amounts of 5 inches across portions of the Tennessee and Lower Ohio Valleys, the central and southern Appalachians, and the MidAtlantic States. This rainfall may lead to flash and urban flooding and rapid rises on small streams. WIND: Tropical storm force winds, especially in gusts, will spread into portions of southeastern and eastern Arkansas through this evening.

TORNADOES: A few tornadoes remain possible this evening, mainly across central and eastern Arkansas into Mississippi. The risk for a few tornadoes should redevelop Friday afternoon into the evening across parts of the MidSouth and Tennessee Valley regions.

SURF: Swells produced by Laura continue to affect the U.S. Gulf coast from the Florida Panhandle to Texas. These swells are likely to cause lifethreatening surf and rip current conditions. Please consult products from your local weather office.

At 400 PM CDT (2100 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Laura was located near latitude 33.4 North, longitude 92.8 West. Laura is moving toward the northnortheast near 15 mph (24 km/h), and this motion should continue through tonight. A northeastward to eastnortheastward motion is expected to begin on Friday and continue into Saturday. On the forecast track, the center of Laura is forecast to move over Arkansas tonight, the midMississippi Valley on Friday, the midAtlantic states on Saturday, and over the western Atlantic on Sunday.

Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 50 mph (85 km/h) with higher gusts. Continued weakening is forecast, and Laura is expected to weaken to a tropical depression this evening or overnight. Tropicalstormforce winds extend outward up to 90 miles (150 km) from the center.

The estimated minimum central pressure based on surface observations is 991 mb (29.27 inches).

Laura has continued to weaken this afternoon. The satellite andradar presentation of the tropical cyclone has continued to degrade,and the center has now moved into southern Arkansas. The initialintensity has been reduced to 45 kt, and is based on a blend ofsurface observations, Doppler radar data, and typical over land tropical cyclone filling rates. Sustained tropical storm forcewinds have been observed in northern Louisiana, and wind gusts tonearly 50 kt were reported in southern Arkansas earlier thisafternoon.

Laura will continue to rapidly weaken during the next 6-12 hours,and it is expected to become a tropical depression either thisevening or overnight. The extratropical remnants could strengthenover the western Atlantic early next week, and the track andintensity forecast for that time is based on guidance fromthe NOAA Ocean Prediction Center.

The tropical storm has turned north-northeastward or 015/13 kt.The cyclone is forecast to turn northeastward, and then east-northeastward as it becomes embedded within the mid-latitudewesterlies on Friday. This motion will take Laura or its remnantsacross the central Appalachians and to the Mid-Atlantic states onSaturday. After that time, the system should accelerateeast-northeastward to northeastward over the western Atlantic. Theupdated NHC track forecast remains similar to the previous advisoryand is close to the various consensus models.