After impacting Mexico, Hurricane Delta strengthening en route to U.S.
After a significant impact on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, a second landfall for Delta is expected on the U.S. Gulf Coast on Friday night.
The remarkable and powerful Hurricane Delta is mostly done with Mexico, but is once more gathering strength as it sets a course for the U.S. Gulf Coast -- yet another hit for the region in a season that has so far been one of the most active on record. Beyond, there is some potential for it to influence Ontario's Thanksgiving Monday.
As of 7 p.m. CDT Thursday, Delta was 500 km south of Cameron, Louisiana, boasting winds of 185 km/h, just over the threshold of a Category 3 hurricane. Its motion over the warmer waters of the Gulf will allow it to gather strength once again, possibly becoming a Category 3 hurricane Friday ahead of its landfall late Friday or early Saturday - the 10th named storm to make landfall in the continental U.S. so far this season, a new record.
The state of Louisiana has declared a state of emergency in preparation for Delta's landfall. A hurricane warning is in effect for part of the Louisiana coastline, while tropical storm watches and warnings are in effect elsewhere in the state, and in Texas and Mississippi.
Friday through Saturday, Delta looks to bring 125-250 mm of rain, with isolated maximums near 375 mm, for portions of the central Gulf Coast north into portions of the Lower Mississippi Valley. Parts of the Louisiana coast can also expect substantial storm surge of 1-2 metres.
"These rainfall amounts will lead to flash, urban, small stream and minor to isolated moderate river flooding," the NHC says.
There is also the risk of a few tornadoes late Thursday night into Friday over portions of southern Louisiana, southern Mississippi and southwest Alabama.
This storm, the fourth to be given a name from the Greek name list during this remarkable 2020 hurricane season, is especially notable, roaring from named tropical storm to Category 4 in less than two days, the fastest since the mid 19th Century.
According to Colorado State University meteorologist Philip Klotzbach, Delta is also "the strongest Greek alphabet-named Atlantic hurricane on record."
He also said Delta intensified by 70 mph (112 km/h) in its first 24 hours of becoming a named storm. This is the most intensification in a 24-hour period for an October Atlantic named-storm since Wilma in 2005.
With Delta, the 2020 hurricane season creeps closer to uncharted territory. The current record for the most active season was set in 2005, which went as far as Zeta, named for the sixth letter in the Greek alphabet after the traditional name list was exhausted. That storm actually lingered a few days into January before finally dissipating.
