Hurricane Zeta is expected to be a Category 2 storm during a landfall in southeastern Louisiana, forecasters said Wednesday morning.
The hurricanes strengthened overnight and are now forecast to reach 100 mph before landfill.
An increase in life-threatening hurricanes and harmful winds are expected to begin in mid-Wednesday in southeastern Louisiana, forecasters said. Landfill is expected to fall on Wednesday afternoon.
Clocks and alerts are in effect for Southeast Louisiana. Metro New Orleans is under hurricane warning.
Forecasters said preparations to save lives and property should be rushed to completion.
Here’s what to know about Hurricane Zeta by 7 a.m. Wednesday.
Where is Hurricane Zeta?
Hurricane Zeta will be seen on satellite on Tuesday, October 28, 2020 at 6:00 AM. (Image by NOAA)
By 7 a.m., Hurricane Zeta was about 265 miles southwest of the mouth of the Mississippi River and about 295 miles southwest of New Orleans. It is moving 17 miles north.
The storm has winds of 90 mph, which is a Category 1 hurricane. The Gulf of Mexico is expected to continue to strengthen on Wednesday morning, with peak winds reaching 100 mph.
Hurricane-force winds extend up to 35 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend up to 150 miles.
The National Weather Service expects Hurricane Zeta to land in Southeast Louisiana on Wednesday afternoon as Hurricane Category 2. B3
The north-northeast motion is expected to begin early Wednesday morning, the National Hurricane Center said.
On the forecast track, Zeta’s center will reach the Gulf Coast on Wednesday morning and land in southeastern Louisiana on Wednesday afternoon. Zeta will move closer to the Mississippi coast on Wednesday night and move southeast and east to the United States on Thursday.
Clocks and alerts
The hurricane warning for this is in effect:
- The mouth of the Atfalya River to Navarre, Florida
- Lake Borgne, Pontchartine Lake, Pensacola Bay and Mobile Bay
The hurricane warning is in effect for:
- Morgan City, Louisiana, across the Mississippi / Alabama border
- Pontchertine Lake, M Lake Reps Lake and Metro New Orleans
A tropical storm warning is in effect for:
- From the Mississippi / Alabama border and Walton / Bay County Line, Florida
A tropical storm clock is in effect for:
- Morgan City to West, Intracoastal City, Louisiana
Increased hurricanes, anticipation of damaging winds
Dangerous storms, heavy rains, and strong winds are possible in southeastern Louisiana from Zeta.
The National Hurricane Center here said Zeta could bring on the Gulf Coast.
Image by National Hurricane Center
In the storm: Along with the Gulf Coast, dangerous storm surges and rising tides due to the combination of tides will flood normally dry areas near the coast.
If the peaks rise at the time of high tide, water may reach elevation above the ground somewhere in the indicated areas.
- Dolphin Island at the mouth of the Moti River, Ala: 6 to 9 feet
- Port Forchn, La., Up to the mouth of the Pearl River, including Lake Borgne
- Dolphin Island, Ala., AL / FL Border: 3 to 5 feet
- Mobile two: 4 to 6 feet
- Port Forch, No, La: 3 to 5 feet from the mouth of the Atchalya River
- Pontchetrain Lake: 3 to 5 feet
- AN / FL border including Panacacola Bay, Navrare, Fla., 2 to 4 feet
- Intracoastal City, L.A.
- Navarre, Fla., Yankitown, Fla., Including Choctawatchi Bay and St. Andrew’s Bay: 1 to 3 feet
Graphic by National Hurricane Center
Estando water will quickly come to the shore and to the right of the land-place, where it will rise with large and dangerous waves. Forecasters said that growth-related flooding depends on the relative time of the boom and the tidal cycle and that it can change drastically in the short term.
Wind: Hurricane conditions are expected within the hurricane warning area on the Gulf Coast on Wednesday afternoon, with tropical hurricane conditions starting later Wednesday morning.
The tropical storm warning area on the Gulf Coast is expected to have tropical storm conditions by late Wednesday, and tropical storm conditions are possible in the tropical storm and watch area on Wednesday afternoon.
Harmful winds, especially in the gusts, will blow well into southeastern Mississippi and parts of southern and central Alabama Wednesday evening.
Rain: Zeta’s advance local heavy rain is expected to move north from the Gulf Coast on Wednesday and eventually reach the Central Appalachians on Wednesday night and Thursday in the Ohio Valley.
Graphic by NOAA
Meanwhile, a heavy rain center near Zita will reach the Mid-Glass Coast from the Central Gulf Coast on Wednesday afternoon to Thursday evening. Rainfall is forecast in the area with a total isolation of 6 inches, resulting in flash, urban, small flow and small river flooding.
Cyclone: Several tornadoes are expected Wednesday afternoon and night in the southeastern parts of Louisiana and Mississippi, south Alabama and the western panhandle of Florida.
Storm classes
On the Safir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, the wind ranges are:
- Tropical Storm: 39 to 73 miles
- Category 1 Hurricane: 74 to 95 miles per hour
- Category 2 hurricanes: 96 to 110 miles
- Category 3 Hurricane (major hurricane): 111 to 129 mph
- Category 4 Hurricane: 130-156 miles
- Category 5 hurricanes: 157 miles and more
What else to know?
There will be a hurricane named Hurricane Zeta 520 and another 2 hurricanes named Greek hitting Louisiana in 2020.
If Zita continues on its projected route, it will be the fifth hurricane to land in Louisiana this year, the highest since hurricane record-keeping began in 1851, said Louisiana state meteorologist Barry Kim. Earlier this season, Hurricane Laura, Hurricane Delta, Tropical Storm Cristobal and Tropical Storm Marco landed in the state.
No more cyclones are expected in the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea in the next five days, the National Hurricane Center said.
Systems are named after a tropical storm once strengthened. The next available name is Eta. Forecasters went into the Greek alphabet in September after using all available names for the 2020 Atlantic season.
The National Hurricane Center says 2005 – Hurricane Katrina and Rita – have the record for most named hurricanes in a single season (28). The numbers include anonymous subtropical storm forecasts known after the season. With Zita, there have been 27 named storms in 2020.
The Atlantic hurricane season ends on November 30, but storms form at any time.
Staff writer Orlando Flores contributed to this story.
Read the full advice at 7 p.m. The next one is at 10 p.m.
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