Hurricane watches issued for northern Gulf Coast ahead of Hurricane Delta landfall

Alex Harris
·2 min read

Hurricane Delta, after battering the Yucatán Peninsula with 100-mph winds, re-emerged into the Gulf of Mexico Wednesday, where it could restrengthen into a Category 3 storm before making landfall on the northern Gulf Coast.

As of 11 p.m., storm surge and hurricane warnings were issued for a portion of the northern Gulf Coast. This would be the third hurricane to hit the region this season, which has already seen 25 named storms.

A storm-surge warning has been issued from Sabine Pass to Ocean Springs, Mississippi, including Calcasieu Lake, Vermilion Bay, Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas and Lake Borgne. The storm-surge watch has been discontinued from the Mississippi/Alabama border to the Alabama/Florida border, including Mobile Bay.

A hurricane warning has been issued for the northern Gulf of Mexico coast from east of Sabine Pass to Morgan City, Louisiana. A Tropical Storm Warning has also been issued for the northern Gulf of Mexico coast from San Luis Pass, Texas to Sabine Pass, and east of Morgan City, Louisiana to the mouth of the Pearl River, including New Orleans, Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas.

The government of Mexico has discontinued the tropical storm warning from Rio Lagartos to Dzilam, Mexico.

The National Hurricane Center said Delta is likely to strengthen to a Category 3 for the first few days over the warmer water and low wind shear in the southern half of the Gulf, but some rougher conditions in the northern Gulf should weaken it a bit just before impact to a Category 2. But even though it might have slightly less intense winds for landfall, the hurricane center warned that Delta is expected to expand in size while in the Gulf.

“Delta is expected to grow in size as it approaches the northern Gulf Coast, where life-threatening storm surge and dangerous hurricane-force winds are likely beginning Friday, particularly for portions of the Louisiana coast,” forecasters wrote.

Hurricane Delta is down to a Cat 1, but it could restrengthen into a Cat 3 in the Gulf of Mexico before weakening to a Cat 2 ahead of landfall.
Hurricane Delta is down to a Cat 1, but it could restrengthen into a Cat 3 in the Gulf of Mexico before weakening to a Cat 2 ahead of landfall.

As of the 11 p.m. update, Delta had 90-mph winds, a dip from the 105-mph winds it was packing earlier in the day, and was headed west-northwest at 17 mph. Delta is about 525 miles south-southeast of Cameronh, Louisiana.

Hurricane-force winds extended 35 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extended 140 miles from the center.

Delta is expected to pick up the pace on Thursday and Friday and reach 120 mph with its maximum sustained winds.

Pecan Island, Louisiana, to Port Fourchon, including Vermilion Bay, could see the worst of the storm surge at 7 to 11 feet, but Delta is expected to cause several feet of storm surge for hundreds of miles east and west of the impact point. Through Saturday, Delta could inundate the area with 4 to 8 inches of rain, with up to 12 inches in some spots.