Laura now forecast to be a catastrophic Category 4 hurricane

Hurricane Laura is forecast to rapidly power up into a “catastrophic” Category 4 hurricane, even stronger than previously expected, as it churns toward Texas and Louisiana, swirling wind and water over much of the Gulf of Mexico.

Curious residents of Key West, Fla., flock to the Edward B. Knight Pier Monday, Aug. 24, 2020, to witness the wind and wave action of Hurricane Laura as the storm passes well to the west of the Florida Keys. (Rob O'Neal/The Key West Citizen via AP)

A kite surfer enjoys the wind in Lauderdale, Fla., Monday, Aug. 24, 2020. Tropical Storm Marco began falling apart Monday, easing one threat to the Gulf Coast but setting the stage for the arrival of Laura as a potentially supercharged Category 3 hurricane with winds topping 110 mph (177 kph). (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)

Beachgoers leave the beach Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, in Galveston, Texas, as Hurricane Laura heads toward the Gulf Coast. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Municipal workers fill sandbags for the elderly and those with disabilities ahead of Hurricane Laura in Crowley, La., Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Municipal workers fill sandbags for residents in advance of Hurricane Laura in Abbeville, La., Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Animals from the Galveston Island Humane Society, are loaded onto Wings of Rescue plane with the help of Houston's SPCA for a flight to Dallas/Fort Worth as Hurricane Laura threatens the Texsa coast, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, in Houston. (Steve Gonzales/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Workers board up windows at the Galvez Hotel & Spa Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, in Galveston, Texas, as Hurricane Laura heads toward the Gulf Coast. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Owner Nick Gaido, left, helps board up windows at his Gaido's Seafood Restaurant Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, in Galveston, Texas, as Hurricane Laura heads toward the Gulf Coast. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

A United State Postal Service Employee covers a mailbox with plastic wrap after removing the last mail from it as the island prepares for possible impact from Hurricane Laura, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, in Galveston. The plastic wrap signals that the final mail has been cleared from the box and prevents people from placing more mail inside in case of flooding. (Mark Mulligan/Houston Chronicle via AP)

CORRECTS SPELLING OF FIRST NAME TO ELISABETH INSTEAD OF ELIZABETH - Evacuees, from right to left, Tommie McNeil, Elisabeth Pelham, Nota Norris, and a woman who did not want to be identified, wait to board a bus as they evacuate, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, in Galveston, Texas. The evacuees are being taken to Austin, Texas, as Hurricane Laura heads toward the Gulf Coast. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Miguel Andrade, right, throws a strap over a giant crab as owner Nick Gaido, left, and Carlos Avila, rear, help to secure the display on the roof at Gaido's Seafood Restaurant, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, in Galveston, Texas, as Hurricane Laura heads toward the Gulf Coast. The crab has been on display since 1960. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

man, assistant operations manager, wheels a portable generator to the checkout stand for a customer at a Home Depot store as residents prepare for the possible landfall of Hurricane Laura on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020 in Houston. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)