Hurricane Laura was a powerful category 4 hurricane that brought damaging storm surge and high winds when it made landfall near Cameron, Louisiana. Laura formed on August 16, 2020, from a tropical wave that moved off the west coast of Africa. By August 22nd, the storm had become organized and passed over Puerto Rico with winds near 45 kt.

The storm moved through Hispaniola, before it made landfall in Cuba on August 25 with maximum wind speeds of 55 kt. Laura continued strengthening, and became a hurricane on August 25. Laura continued strengthening, reaching a maximum strength of 130 kt by the time it hit Louisiana. Laura was the strongest hurricane Louisiana had seen since Category 5 Hurricane Camille in 1969.

Laura’s storm surge reached over 18 feet, and was the most damaging element of the storm. In total, 47 deaths were directly attributed to Laura in the U.S and Hispaniola, and $19 billion dollars of damages were amassed in the U.S alone.

The full report of Hurricane Laura can be found via the National Hurricane Center.