U.S. According to the National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Delta has made about half of the landfall between the Mexican resort towns of Cancun and the city of Puerto Morelos between Playa del Carmen.
The Delta has winds of 110 miles per hour, making it a strong Class 2 storm. The hurricane will quickly enter the Yucatan Peninsula on Wednesday morning and re-emerge in the Gulf of Mexico later today.
Once back on the open water, the delta will probably be able to turn into a major hurricane before returning to the shores of Iana Louisiana. Hurricane clocks and hurricane clocks will likely be issued later Wednesday on the U.S. Gulf Coast.
[Previous story, published at 6:56 a.m. ET]
Winds dropped to 115 mph early Wednesday morning ahead of the expected landfall between early morning and 6 a.m. CT (between 7 a.m. and T.).
Hurricane Delta, which has been a Category 4 storm, is expected Storm surges ranging from 8 to 12 feet and tropical storm-force winds come as it hits the Yucatan, where Cancun and Cozumel are located. Atlantic hurricanes have largely saved the area this season.
People on the peninsula bought supplies on grocery stories to prepare for the storm on Tuesday, CNN A video from affiliate TV Azteca showed people sitting in houses with plywood and filling large jugs with water.
Dozens of tourists who were kicked out of their hotels wore masks and sat chatting while waiting for transport.
Others canceled or delayed due to the storm were shown waiting for a flight outside the area.
The wind speed increases a little more than a day
Delta wind speeds have tripled in about 30 hours – rising to Category 4 hurricanes with winds of 145 miles per hour before weakening slightly from tropical depression with winds of 35 mph on Monday morning. The maximum sustained wind has increased to 85 mph in 24 hours, the highest in a single day so far this year.
The storm is expected to be in Category 3 when it hits Mexico before weakening to the ground. But once the Yucatan Peninsula passes, it will collide in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Forecasters say U.S. As the Gulf Coast approaches, Delta will once again be strong in Class 3.
States along the Gulf of Mexico are preparing for the delta, while the governors of Alabama and Louisiana will issue emergency declarations and evacuation operations in the states could still come out of the hurricane this season.
There have been six hurricanes within 50 miles of Cancun in the last 100 years, only two of them above Class 3. Hurricane Gilbert struck with 160 mph in 1988, and Hurricane Wilma destroyed the area in 2005 with winds of 130-140 mph. Hurricane Emily also hit the peninsula in 2005.
Evacuate before storm
More than 700 military personnel and 47 official vehicles are conducting security tours, reviewing tributaries and putting people at greatest risk, according to the release.
On Tuesday, hotel evacuees headed to temporary shelters waiting for more rides, trying to reach home between canceled and delayed flights.
“We are trying to say goodbye to the hurricane. We are trying to get out of here. Our flight was really tomorrow so we changed it today to get out of here. “We caught a flight to Mexico City and we’re going home tomorrow,” Black Gray of Texas told TV Azteca. ‘
Signs of a hurricane were already visible on Tuesday night, as strong winds blew trees and lapped rough surf beaches, as shown in a video from TV Azteca.
In the Gulf Coast, about 10% of man-made oil rigs have stopped operating ahead of the storm, according to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), which has activated its hurricane response team in anticipation of Hurricane Delta. Employees have been evacuated from at least one rig.
U.S. states prepare for fatal situations
New Orleans-based Energy is monitoring the storm and preparing to respond in Louisiana. The utility is busy with restoration efforts, due to the devastating hurricane Laura’s distribution and transmission infrastructure, which left over 1,000 customers without electricity.
The utility announced just last week that it has restored power to all ible accessible customers in severely affected southwest Louisiana.
“Hurricane Delta is an incredibly dangerous storm that will bring heavy winds, rain and life-threatening flooding and storm surges to coastal Louisiana. Everyone in southern Louisiana should pay more attention to the weather in the coming days and heed the advice and directions of their locals.” Edwards said in the release.
Ben Shot, head of the National Weather Service in New Orleans, said during a briefing Tuesday that the Delta’s deadly hurricanes, massively damaging winds and flooding would be significant.
The earliest hurricane hit is Friday morning, he said, but if the hurricane slows down it could be as late as Saturday morning. The entire coastline of Louisiana can see tropical storm winds, Shot said.
New Orleans officials said they will continue “minute by minute” surveillance of Hurricane Delta’s route to determine whether evacuation is needed.
Mandatory evacuation for tourists on the Alabama Gulf Coast, including Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, Dolphin Island and On No Island and the unorganized areas of Fort Morgan, has been ordered to begin Wednesday morning.
“This is for their safety and well-being, as well as for the safety and well-being of local people who are working to prepare their communities in the event that Hurricane Delta tracks them more easily,” Ivy said in a statement.
“Residents on the Gulf Coast know all too well, these storms are unpredictable, and I encourage everyone to take Hurricane Delta seriously,” Iway said.
In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott has put numerous resources on standby across the state in anticipation of a possible severe weather due to Hurricane Delta, according to a news release from the governor’s office.
“Text has been urged to take immediate precautions to protect itself from the effects of this hurricane,” Abbott said in a news release.
.Historical storms and seasons
It is the strongest storm of the Greek alphabet in history. Once the list of complete hurricane names is used for a given year – once in 2005 and again in 2020 this season is used to name the storm of the Greek alphabet.
Delta will be the 10th landfall hurricane in the U.S. this season, the highest in a single year. The season is currently tied with 1916 when nine hurricanes struck. Joining Hannah, Isaiah, Laura and Sally, it will be the fifth hurricane to make a landfall. This will be the largest hurricane the U.S. has seen since 2005
If it hits Louisiana, it will be the fourth hurricane to make an earthquake, the most hurricane ever seen in the state.
This year is on track for the most named hurricane in Atlantic Basin history.
CNN’s Tina Burnside, Gisela Crespo, K. Jones, Justin Sutton, Haley Brink and Devon Sears contributed to the report.
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