What was once a powerful Category 4 hurricane, Laura became a Tropical Depression late on Thursday night.  The storm continues to lose maximum sustained wind speeds, however it is still bringing very heavy rainfall through the Mississippi River Valley. The threat of flash flooding and isolated tornadoes continues.

Laura made landfall near Cameron, Louisiana around 1 am CT on Thursday August 27 as a Category 4 Hurricane. Destructive winds caused widespread structural damage across parts of southwest Louisiana. Rain totals across the upper Texas coast and southwest Louisiana topped 9″ in some spots. More than 800,000 customers are without power in Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas.

The center of Laura is expected to track through Arkansas before it turns east, continuing to weaken. Although Laura has weakened significantly since making landfall, flooding rain and tornadoes remain possible for areas adjacent to its center. The threat for tornadoes and severe weather will continue into Saturday for parts of the Middle Atlantic and Eastern Seaboard.

The remnants of Laura will eventually merge with a cold front passing through the northern United States into Saturday.  This will set the stage for scattered severe thunderstorms in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern US.

WeatherNation will keep you up-to-date on-air and online with the latest information regarding Laura.