Laura Now a CAT 4 Hurricane With 150+ MPH Winds

What Happened:

• Hurricane Laura has strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of over 150 mph and is expected to make landfall in the next few hours.

• Forecasters warn that this is an "extremely dangerous" hurricane and that it is expected to cause an "unsurvivable storm surge" of over 15 ft.

• Major flooding and damage is expected in Louisiana and Southeast Texas. Residents are urged to evacuate if they haven't already.

• Forecasters say Laura may even strengthen to CAT 5 this evening. For a comparison, hurricane Katrina was a CAT 3.

• About 1.5 million residents of Texas and Louisiana that are in the hurricane's path have been told to evacuate by government officials.

What was Said:

• Said National Hurricane Director Ken Graham, this is a "catastrophic, life-threatening" hurricane. "Every little bayou, every little river that normally drains your rain, is going to flow in the opposite direction with storm surge and it (will get) out of those banks and (go) over the land."

Developing Story

Photo Credit: noaa.gov