Hurricane Laura, which is forecast to make landfall Wednesday evening as a Category 4, could be “unsurvivable” in portions of Texas and Louisiana, the National Hurricane Center said.
The government agency warned the storm surge could reach 20 feet in areas between Houston and Lake Charles, La.
Officials in Texas and Louisiana ordered the evacuation of more than 500,000 people Tuesday as the storm barrels toward parts of Texas that were ravaged by Hurricane Harvey in 2017.
If the storm makes landfall during high tide, weather forecasters said flood levels up to 30 miles inland could put areas under 15 to 20 feet of water.
Wind speeds for Laura are projected to hit 120 mph in some parts near the Gulf Coast Thursday morning. As of late Wednesday morning, the hurricane had maximum sustained winds of 125 mph, up from 110 mph earlier in the day.
The hurricane is currently a strong Category 3 hurricane.
At around 11 a.m. ET, it was centered at 235 miles southeast of Galveston, Texas, moving northwest at 16 mph, according to The Washington Post.
Videos Wednesday morning showed rising tides flooding some parts near Dauphin Island, Ala.