Fox News senior meteorologist Janice Dean has the latest.

Hurricane Laura is moving across the southeastern Gulf of Mexico, prompting hurricane and storm surge warnings.

Late Tuesday morning, the National Hurricane Center tweeted that warnings have been issued for the northwestern Gulf Coast.

Laura strengthened from tropical storm to hurricane status Tuesday morning and is expected to become a major hurricane over the Northwestern Gulf of Mexico Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center reported earlier.

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“Laura is forecast to reach the northwestern Gulf Coast as a hurricane late Wednesday and early Thursday with impacts including strong winds, storm surge, high surf and heavy rainfall expected,” the National Weather Service said in a statement. “Hurricane, Tropical Storm and Storm Surge Watches [have been] issued.”

Curious residents of Key West, Fla., flock to the Edward B. Knight Pier Monday to witness the wind and wave action of Tropical Storm Laura as it passes well to the west of the Florida Keys.
(The Key West Citizen/AP)

The National Hurricane Center advisory says "from Wednesday afternoon into Saturday, Laura is expected to produce rainfall of 4 to 8 inches, with isolated maximum amounts of 12 inches across portions of the west-central U.S. Gulf Coast near the Texas and Louisiana border north into portions of the lower Mississippi Valley.

“There is a risk of life-threatening storm-surge from San Luis Pass, Texas, to Ocean Springs, Mississippi, with the next 48 hours, and a storm surge watch is in effect for these areas outside of the southeast Louisiana Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System,” said the National Weather Service.

Additional hurricane watches have been issued for parts of Texas and Louisiana.

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“Today is the day to prepare if you are in a watch area because the weather will be going downhill by Wednesday afternoon,” the National Hurricane Center tweeted.

Laura killed at least 11 people in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, where it knocked out power and caused flooding in the two nations that share the island of Hispaniola. The deaths reportedly included a 10-year-old girl whose home was hit by a tree and a mother and young son who were crushed by a collapsing wall.

While Laura continues to churn in the Gulf of Mexico, Tropical Storm Marco has weakened to a Tropical Depression. By early Tuesday, Marco was a Remnant Low just south of Louisiana.

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“Marco is expected to continue heavy rainfall across portions of the north-central Gulf Coast and Southeastern United States through Wednesday,” said the National Weather Service.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers