by Donald Wood
Last updated: 12:25 AM ET, Tue August 25, 2020
Update: August 27, 2020 at 8:30 a.m. ET
Hurricane Laura made landfall near Cameron, Louisiana, overnight as a strong Category 4 with winds registering 150 miles per hour. The storm has brought destructive winds, flooding rainfall, storm surge and tornadoes across western Louisiana.
While Laura has weakened to a Category 2 storm, a hurricane warning remains in effect from southeast Texas into western Louisiana, including as far north as Shreveport. Tropical storm warnings extend as far north as central Arkansas, including Little Rock.
The storm is also an inland flood risk as far north and east as Arkansas and the Ohio and Tennessee valleys.
As for travelers, United Airlines canceled all flights in and out of Houston, while airports in Dallas, New Orleans and other surrounding areas have been dealing with delays as a result of the storm. Airlines serving impacted airports have all waived change fees as the storm batters the region.
Laura has also forced rail travel provider Amtrak to temporarily suspend service to and from New Orleans, Houston and Little Rock.
Update: August 26, 2020 at 9:30 a.m. ET
Airlines around the United States serving Texas and Louisiana are actively monitoring the projected path of Hurricane Laura as it makes its way toward coastal areas of both states.
Hurricane Laura is expected to become a Category 4 storm, and due to the forecast track of the storm, Carriers like American, Delta, Southwest and United have capped fares and issued waivers for airports along the Gulf Coast to provide customers with travel flexibility.
In addition, George Bush Intercontinental Airport and William P. Hobby Airport in Houston have experienced the highest number of cancellations Wednesday, according to FlightAware.com.
As for rail travel in the region, the predicted landfall of Hurricane Laura has led Amtrak to temporarily suspend service to and from New Orleans, Houston and Little Rock for several days.
Airlines have started issuing travel advisories and waiving change fees ahead of back-to-back storms forming in the Gulf of Mexico.
According to Weather.com, Tropical Storm Marco is expected to track near the coast of Louisiana throughout Tuesday. Parts of the northern Gulf Coast are expected to experience heavy rainfall, gusty winds and storm surge.
As for Tropical Storm Laura, it is forecast to reach the Gulf of Mexico early this week and possibly make landfall along parts of the Texas and Louisiana coasts between Wednesday and Friday.
Travelers should be on alert and checking with their carriers for updates, as airports in the impacted regions could be facing delays and cancellations due to the adverse weather conditions expected in the coming days.
While American Airlines has not issued an advisory for Tropical Storm Laura, as the path is not yet clear, it has announced that change fees would be waived for airports in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi in the path of Marco.
Delta Air Lines and its meteorology team have issued a weather waiver for customers traveling through airports in the projected path of Marco, including facilities in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi. The carrier also issued waivers at Caribbean airports in the path of Tropical Storm Laura.
Southwest Airlines announced it would waive change fees for flights in and out of Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, while United has issued an advisory for airports in Louisiana and Mississippi.
Travelers are being asked to check the status of their flights before heading to the airport.
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