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Hurricane Delta has made landfall in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula as it begins to make its way to the U.S. Gulf Coast.
The storm is expected to hit the Gulf on Friday, October 9, as residents in Texas, Louisiana, and Alabama should prepare for stormy weather and potential flooding.
Read on to learn more about this storm, its path, and its impact right now.
Delta hit the Yucatan Peninsula today, Wednesday, October 7 at around 5:30 a.m.
The storm is currently a Category 2 hurricane and has maximum sustained winds of 110 mph.
The storm is moving to the northwest at roughly 15 to 20 mph, according to The Weather Channel.
A hurricane warning is still in effect for many areas surrounding the Yucatan Peninsula, including Tulu, Dzilam, Cancún, and Cozumel.
However, a tropical storm warning has been issued for western Cuba, which is expected to not be as badly impacted.
Delta may lose some of its intensity after making landfall with the Yucatan Peninsula, but it is expected to pick back up as it moves towards the Gulf.
Anytime a storm reaches land it usually slows down, but it always manages to pick back up as it moves over water.
The warmer water in the Gulf of Mexico will more than likely reinvigorate the storm Wednesday night into Thursday morning.
Delta is still expected to be a very strong hurricane when it makes landfall with the Gulf Coast later this week.
As the storm continues to move north, it is expected to grow in size. In fact, the NHC said a surge could bring the water six to nine feet above normal tide levels.
Not to mention, up to 10 inches of rain could lead to serious flash flooding.
People who live near the Gulf need to be very careful and watch out for any storm surges, which could be life-threatening.
The storm is expected to hit the Gulf as early as Thursday night or Friday morning and could bring around four to eight inches of rain, which some areas getting 12 inches.
This heavy rainfall could cause terrible flooding for areas along the Northern Gulf Coast.
Delta has become the ninth hurricane of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season.
Though hurricane season begins in June, it typically doesn’t end until the month of November, so there could be more storms down the road. This has already been a historic year for storms, and even more could be truly disastrous.
