Tropical Storm Zeta moving off Yucatan Peninsula, forecast to re-intensify into hurricane, US coast prepares
Zeta lost its hurricane steam overnight and is moving its tropical-storm-force winds off of the Yucatan peninsula Tuesday morning as it enters the southern Gulf of Mexico where storm models predict it will regain its hurricane status.
The earliest recorded 27th named storm has maximum sustained winds of 70 mph as it moves off the peninsula at 14 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center’s 8 a.m. update. Zeta is 45 miles east of Progreso, Mexico and 540 miles south of the mouth of the Mississippi River.
Zeta’s center is forecast to move over the southern Gulf of Mexico later Tuesday morning, and over the central Gulf of Mexico Tuesday night where it should re-intensify to a hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph. Zeta is forecast to approach the U.S. Gulf Coast Wednesday, and make landfall within the hurricane warning area late Wednesday, the NHC said. Between Tuesday night and Thursday, heavy rainfall is forecast for the Central U.S. Gulf Coast, as well as the southern Appalachians and Mid-Atlantic states.
A hurricane warning is in effect from Morgan City, Louisiana, to the Mississippi/Alabama border, including New Orleans. Parts of Mexico are also under a hurricane warning.
Florida falls under a tropical storm warning, which extends from the Mississippi/Alabama border to Okaloosa/Walton County line Florida. A storm surge warning is also in effect Intracoastal City Louisiana to Navarre Florida; including Pensacola Bay where waters are expected to rise between 2 to 4 feet.
On the Yucatan, Quintana Roo state officials reported nearly 60,000 tourists in the state as of midweek, according to a report by the Associated Press. They said 71 shelters were readied for tourists or residents who might need them, though the governor said he hoped it would not be necessary to move guests out of their hotels.
As the storm moves off of Mexico its projected path has it on a collision course with the storm battered Louisiana, which has been hit by four storms already during the 2020 season: Cristobal, Laura, Marco and Delta. Over 3,500 evacuees from Hurricanes Laura and Delta are still being sheltered, according to Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards.
Edwards urged his state’s citizens to monitor the storm, and the state activated its Crisis Action Team, the AP reported.
Edwards activated over 1,000 members of the Louisiana National Guard is preparation.
“We’re doing everything we can to prepare for this storm,” Edwards said.
Zeta broke a record overnight Sunday around 2 a.m. during an already historic hurricane season by becoming the earliest forming Zeta storm in the Atlantic. The Greek letter designation was only used once before after the 2005 hurricane season was over - forming on Dec. 30.
Hurricane season’s last official day is on Nov. 30.
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