Hurricane Laura updates: Winds continue to drop as storm barely hangs on to Category 1 status

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Damaging winds and flooding rain are spreading inland over central and northern Louisiana, according to the 11 a.m. advisory from the National Hurricane Center.

Hurricane Laura made landfall near Cameron, Louisiana, at 1 a.m. Thursday as a powerful Category 4 storm with 150 mph winds. The storm has been losing strength steadily throughout the morning.

High water levels continue to be reported along portions of the Gulf Coast.

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As of 11 a.m., the center of Hurricane Laura was located 50 miles east-southwest of Shreveport, Louisiana.

Laura is moving toward the north near 15 mph.

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On the forecast track, Laura will move north across northern Louisiana this afternoon. The center of Laura is forecast to move over Arkansas tonight, the mid-Mississippi Valley on Friday, and the mid-Atlantic states on Saturday.

Maximum sustained winds continue to drop, and were at 75 mph, with higher gusts, at 11 a.m.

Rapid weakening is forecast, and Laura is expected to become a tropical storm withing the next few hours, and weaken to a tropical depression tonight.

Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 35 miles (55 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 105 miles.