Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Rare dueling tropical cyclones likely to make U.S. landfall next week

Closest tropical cyclone landfalls since the Great Depression?

Get ready for another weather oddity in 2020.

Two tropical cyclones are likely to make landfall in the U.S. coast withing about 24 hours next week. If it happens as forecast models project, it will be the first time since the Great Depression tow storms have made U.S. landfalls within 24 hours.

Tropical Storm Laura

Tropical Storm Laura is projected to track near Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic this weekend. The current National Hurricane Center forecast track suggests Laura will skirt the northern edge of Cuba and emerge into the eastern Gulf of Mexico west of Florida by Monday.

Tropical Storm Laura forecast path
Tropical Storm Laura forecast path
NOAA/National Hurricane Center

Laura is currently forecast to be a Category 1 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico and at landfall. Keep in mind intensity forecasts are notoriously changeable.

Tropical Storm Laura forecast model intensity plot
Tropical Storm Laura forecast model intensity plot
NOAA via tropical tidbits

Tropical Storm Marco

Tropical Depression 14 is forecast to become Tropical Storm Marco Friday. Current forecast tracks take Marco toward the western Gulf of Mexico as a hurricane by Monday.

Tropical Storm Marco
Tropical Depression 14 is likely to become Storm Marco. Forecast path.
NOAA/National Hurricane Center

Both systems are projected to make U.S. landfalls along the Gulf coast within about 24 hours next Tuesday into Wednesday. If that happens, it would be the first time since September of 1933 that two tropical cyclones have made such a close U.S. landfall.

So we are likely looking at a significant weather rarity in 2020.