Tropical Storm Laura entered the warm and deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico Tuesday, gathering strength on a path to hit the U.S. coastline early Thursday as a major hurricane that could unleash a surge of seawater higher than a basketball hoop and swamp entire towns. The National Hurricane Center projected Tuesday morning that Laura will become a Category 3 hurricane before landfall, with winds of around 115 mph (185 kph), capable of devastating damage. “This storm is going to be intensifying all the way up until landfall … We want you to prepare as if it’s going to be a Category 3,” said Donald Jones, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Lake Charles, Louisiana — in the bullseye of Laura’s projected path.