The year of 2020 has been wild. While the world continues to battle with the pandemic, natural calamities and weather changes are also at a high. The US saw one of the strongest hurricanes in the last two days. Hurricane Laura made its landfall in Louisiana on Thursday, August 27. A hurricane with 150 mph winds falling in the "extremely dangerous" has left behind a trail of destruction. Heavy rains followed with the tropical depression in some parts and tornado warnings were issued for the night. Pictures and videos of the extremely strong winds and the aftermath have been shared on social media. Nick Underwood, a hurricane hunter with USA's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration gave the rarest spectacle of flying through the hurricane!
The US weather authorities had given warnings of catastrophic impacts. The wind intensity was higher as it moved towards Louisiana and Texas coasts, almost on becoming a Category 5 classification, the highest on the scale. The intensity has thankfully weakened post the landfall. Videos of the strong winds gushing accompanied by rain in some parts have been shared on Twitter and they are scary! Nick Underwood of NOAA gave the world a view of flying into the eye of the hurricane. He went through the storm several times to collect critical data for forecasters. A minute and a half long timelapse shows passing through the hurricane on the second pass. Hurricane Laura Makes Landfall Near Cameron, Louisiana in US; 4 Killed, Extensive Damage to Property.
Watch Video of Flying Through Hurricane Laura:
Kermit (#NOAA42) flew through Hurricane #Laura FIVE times today. Here's a time lapse of our second pass up through the beginning for our third.
A pass in and out of a hurricane is called a "penetration" or a "penny". Five pennies today takes my career total to 61.#FlyNOAA pic.twitter.com/IqajXPbosQ
— Tropical Nick Underwood (@TheAstroNick) August 26, 2020
Twitter users and weather dept officials have also shared footage from Louisiana to show the intensity of this storm.
Winds Affecting Structures
#Laura so strong!! Pieces of the hotel are coming apart. Look at the glass coming down from above. We’re in the #eyewall now pic.twitter.com/9S4fbnvCS3
— Jordan Steele (@JordanSteele) August 27, 2020
Structures Coming Apart
Hotel coming apart. #Laura #Hurricane pic.twitter.com/ZZWuv69qvq
— Gage Shaw (@WXgage) August 27, 2020
SO Spooky!
LISTEN- It has not stopped! The wind continues to howl, with debris swirling around our building. Chaos outside. @WeatherNation #Laura pic.twitter.com/BlbZ8BrIJV
— Will Nunley (@willnunley) August 27, 2020
Extreme Winds From Lake Charles
EXTREME winds in the eyewall of #Laura here in Lake Charles WELL in excess of 100 mph. #lawx pic.twitter.com/og06tSSje9
— Cory Smith (@wxcory) August 27, 2020
Destruction Left Behind
The eye of Hurricane #Laura went right over Cameron, LA last night and left its mark. Many homes/businesses were flattened by wind & water. In fact, that lingering water is storm surge flooding, not rainfall flooding. Video Courtesy Brandon Clement with Live Storms Media. #lawx pic.twitter.com/GNiX8kWcQ6
— Ed Piotrowski (@EdPiotrowski) August 27, 2020
Before and After
Before and after #Hurricane #Laura in Lake Charles, Louisiana #wx #louisiana #louisianawx #lakecharleslouisiana #wsaz pic.twitter.com/IiAeSgGukk
— Ryan Epling (@WSAZRyanEpling) August 27, 2020
How The Crews Covered It
WATCH: Jaw-dropping footage from our live crews last night as #Laura made landfall. pic.twitter.com/psxgyM18tl
— The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) August 27, 2020
Winds With Heavy Rains
1:23 am. Whistling. Explosions. #Hurricane #LAURA in Sulphur #Louisiana pic.twitter.com/7kU3DZjhyn
— Josh Morgerman (@iCyclone) August 27, 2020
The videos look so scary! The hurricane battered the Louisiana coastline with an intensity the region has not seen in over a century. As of now, six people have been reported dead but other damage is much more. 600,000 power outages across the state and water services had also suffered some damage. Thankfully, the storm weakened during the landfall, thus avoiding further catastrophic event.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 28, 2020 01:20 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).