DELTA STRENGTHENS SLIGHTLY; EVAC. ORDER CANCELLED FOR ALABAMA… Hurricane Delta is a bit stronger this afternoon with maximum sustained winds at 105 mph. Landfall of the storm is expected to happen in southwest Louisiana very near where devastating Hurricane Laura made landfall only 6 weeks ago. The main concern from Hurricane Delta locally across south Alabama and northwest Florida will be a few, isolated tornadoes from Friday evening through Saturday afternoon with the greatest risk of a tornado happening Saturday morning. Please have a way to hear warnings and join us in live tornado warning coverage should the need for warnings happen in our local area. A few Thursday afternoon forecast notes are below.
EVACUATION ORDER CANCELLED… Alabama Governor Kay Ivey rescinded the mandatory evacuation order that was in effect for tourists and vacationers along the Alabama beaches. There is now no mandatory or voluntary evacuation order in effect for any part of Alabama or Florida due to Hurricane Delta. Folks in Louisiana that receive an evacuation order should heed those orders as the storm surge and high winds are expected to be dangerous near the center of Hurricane Delta.
1PM ADVISORY – HURRICANE DELTA… As of 1PM Thursday, the center of Hurricane Delta is located about 370 miles south of Cameron, Louisiana. Max. winds are at 105 mph. Minimum central pressure is at 966 millibars. While Delta has strengthened some since this morning, the storm does not seem to be rapidly intensifying at the moment. A Hurricane Hunter recon crew is investigating Delta now and we should continue to get regular recon data right up until landfall on Friday.
CENTER OF HURRICANE DELTA EXPECTED TO MAKE LANDFALL IN LOUISIANA… The core of Hurricane Delta is expected to make landfall somewhere along the Louisiana coastline. The large hurricane will likely make landfall Friday afternoon or evening. The official forecast from the National Hurricane Center calls for Delta to be a category 2 or category 3 hurricane at the time of landfall Friday P.M. It cannot be stressed enough that folks in and near the following Louisiana places should be preparing for a potentially extensive hurricane impact Friday into Saturday: New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Morgan City, New Iberia, Houma, Thibodaux, Grand Isle, Abbeville (LA), Opelousas, Hammond, Kentwood, Denham Springs, Zachary, Prairieville, and Gonzales.
SHOWERS & STORMS FIRING UP LOCALLY… Scattered areas of rain and a few thunderstorms are popping up early this afternoon across south Alabama and northwest Florida. Rain and storms will likely increase in coverage somewhat over the next several hours. These storms are not directly associated with Hurricane Delta, but they are being driven to the west-northwest by the large counterclockwise circulation of Delta. Scattered downpours will be possible in the hours ahead across south Alabama and northwest Florida. I will have radar updates posted as needed in the RedZone Weather app. The local radar view as of 1:30PM is below.
GREATEST RISK OF A TORNADO LOCALLY: S.W. ALABAMA ON SATURDAY MORNING… The highest risk of a few tornadoes locally will happen on Friday night into Saturday, particularly in Mobile, Baldwin, Washington, Clarke, Marengo, and Choctaw counties in southwest Alabama. Hurricane-induced tornadoes generally do not last long, but they can be dangerous and produce damage. Have a way to hear warnings late Friday evening through Saturday afternoon. The overall greater tornado risk will happen across Louisiana and parts of southern Mississippi, but we cannot rule out a few tornadoes across west Alabama, particularly Saturday morning.
HEAVY RAIN POSSIBLE FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY… Scattered showers and thunderstorms will increase in coverage on Friday, especially in the evening hours. Heavy rain will become possible at times Friday night into Saturday extending into the afternoon hours. Most of the rain should be gone by Saturday evening.
HURRICANE WARNING FOR PARTS OF LOUISIANA… A Hurricane Warning is now in effect from Sabine Pass, TX eastward to Morgan City, Louisiana. This includes areas like Cameron, LA that were devastated by Hurricane Laura only a few weeks ago. Tropical Storm Warnings are in effect on both the east and the west side of the Hurricane Warning and we note that metropolitan New Orleans is included in the Tropical Storm Warning.
STORM SURGE WATCH CANCELLED FOR MOBILE BAY… The Storm Surge Watch that was in effect for Mobile Bay and the Alabama coastline has been cancelled. A Storm Surge Warning is in effect from Sabine Pass, TX all the way eastward to Ocean Springs, MS. The Storm Surge Warning does include Lake Pontchartrain.
APP ALERTS… If you haven’t already, be sure to download the free RedZone Weather app to keep up with all the latest information on the world of weather in south Alabama and northwest Florida. redzoneweather.com/app is the link for the free download. Once you have the app downloaded to your iOS or Android device, be sure to visit the Alerts tab (lower right corner) and tap the large, yellow Alert Settings button to customize the alerts you would like to receive straight from me.
I will have more updates as needed throughout the day in the RedZone Weather app. Have a nice Thursday afternoon!