#Tropical Storm Laura likely to become hurricane by Tuesday

One of the two storms set to smack the southern U.S. coast will likely turn into a hurricane Tuesday, forecasters warned as the storm’s partner in crime appeared to weaken.

Tropical Storm Laura could possibly become a Category 3 hurricane and see winds top 110 mph in the Gulf of Mexico, with the storm set to make landfall on the coastline of Texas or Louisiana, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The system was 15 miles south of Cayo Largo, Cuba, Monday afternoon with maximum sustained winds of 60 miles per hour, the agency said.

Once Laura moves on from Cuba, it could rapidly strengthen over warm water, which can accelerate a storm.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Marco — centered around 40 miles southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River — was downgraded from a hurricane after its winds died down to 40 mph.

By midday Monday, an airplane monitoring Marco could only spot a small area of wind strong enough to keep the system designated tropical storm.

As Marco continued to weaken, the National Hurricane Center nixed all tropical storm watches and warnings.

The double whammy of storms could still bring a total of 2 feet of rain to parts of Louisiana, potentially pushing water 30 miles up the rivers, forecasters said.

With Post wires