(Bloomberg) — The threat of a rare double storm blow looms for the U.S. Gulf Coast despite a weaker Tropical Storm Marco, with more than half of offshore oil production already shut and forecasts showing the potential for Laura to become a major hurricane before landfall Thursday (Aug. 27).

Marco lost power as it approached Louisiana on Monday (Aug. 24), but is forecast to skirt the coastline before dying out later this week in Texas, said Don Keeney, a meteorologist with commercial forecaster Maxar. The worst of Marco will likely be confined to just along the shoreline and a little inland, while Laura could arrive Thursday as the Atlantic's first major hurricane of 2020. The last time two storms plied the Gulf together was 1959.

"Laura is a different story," Keeney said. "At this point, it is expected to develop into a hurricane. Right now, it is expected to be a strong Category 2 or weak Category 3."

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