DELTA NOW A CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE… The National Hurricane Center has just issued (as of 10:22AM) a special update indicating that Hurricane Delta is now a category 4, major hurricane. This is an increase in strength since our previous update about 20 minutes ago. The NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft crew continues to sample the eyewall of Delta. The crew recently found sustained winds of 130 mph. Minimum central pressure is down to 954 millibars.
RAPID STRENGTHENING CONTINUES… There is a high chance that Hurricane Delta will continue to strengthen over the next few hours as it moves northwest toward the northeastern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. Areas near and just north of Cozumel, Mexico should prepare for the impact of a high-end, category 4 or category 5 hurricane.
DELTA TO APPROACH NORTHERN GULF… Delta is expected to weaken somewhat once the storm arrives to the northern Gulf later this week, but most likely, the storm will be a category 2 or category 3 hurricane at landfall along the northern Gulf Coast on Friday into Saturday. Landfall is most likely to happen in Louisiana, but it is still too early to rule out a landfall point in Mississippi, Alabama, or northwest Florida. Regardless, impacts from Delta will extend outward from the center several hundred miles and our local area will likely have heavy rain, gusty winds, isolated tornadoes, storm surge, and potentially flash flooding late Friday into Saturday.