Hurricane Laura strengthened to a category 3 storm Wednesday morning and was expected to intensify further before making landfall along the Texas and Louisiana border overnight.
The storm's maximum sustained winds were nearly 115 mph, and with possible higher gusts.
Laura is expected to inflict damage before and long after it makes landfall, and not just along the Gulf Coast.
The National Weather Service said the devastation could spread far inland in eastern Texas and western Louisiana.
On Wednesday morning, the storm's hurricane-force winds were extending outward up to 70 miles, and its tropical-storm-force winds up to 175 miles, the weather service said. The harshest conditions are expected between 8 p.m. Wednesday and 6 a.m. Thursday.
Widespread power outages could last for weeks, forecasters said.
Flooding is also a concern with more than 6 million people who were under flash flood watches from Louisiana to Arkansas on Wednesday.
Parts of the northwestern Gulf Coast from western Louisiana to far-eastern Texas could see 15 inches of rain on top of a 10 to 15 foot storm surge that could reach 30 miles inland.
A buoy located near Laura clocked a wave height of 37 feet Wednesday morning.
Tornados could also present a problem across southeast Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and western Mississippi Wednesday and Thursday.
This is a developing story; check back for updates.
