Laura has strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane as it heads for a destructive landfall near the Texas and Louisiana border. A catastrophic storm surge and damaging winds will batter the region and a threat of flooding rain and strong winds will extend well inland.

The maximum sustained winds in Laura increased to 140 mph at 1 p.m. CDT on Wednesday. Just 24 hours ago, Laura had winds of 75 mph, making it a Category 1 hurricane.

Conditions are expected to go downhill along the northwest Gulf Coast later today. The worst conditions will be near the time of landfall Wednesday night into early Thursday.

For the latest on Laura, .

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