Delta makes landfall as Category 2 hurricane in Mexico, forecast to hit US Friday
Storm surge is the biggest threat in Cancun and along the Yucatan Peninsula.
MEXICO (ABC News) – Hurricane Delta has made landfall in Mexico as a Category 2 hurricane and will soon re-strengthen, slamming into the Texas-Louisiana border later this week.
Storm surge will be the biggest threat in Cancun and along the coastal Yucatan Peninsula Wednesday morning.
Once Delta reemerges in the Gulf of Mexico, the current forecast calls for re-strengthening and it could once again reach a Category 4 hurricane, with winds of 130 mph on Thursday night into early Friday morning.
There is some hope that as Delta approaches the western Gulf Coast of the U.S., it will weaken due to the cooler water and atmospheric shear.
But even with a weakening, the current track shows Delta could be a major Category 3 hurricane during the landfall on Friday, with winds of 115 mph.
The latest models slowed down and shifted west, predicting landfall along the Texas-Louisiana border between noon and 1 p.m. Friday.
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(AP Photo/Victor Ruiz Garcia) A view of a flooded street in Cancun, Mexico, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020. Hurricane Delta made landfall Wednesday just south of the Mexican resort of Cancun as a Category 2 storm, downing trees and knocking out power to some resorts along the northeastern coast of Yucatan Peninsula.
(AP Photo/Victor Ruiz Garcia) A view of a flooded street in Cancun, Mexico, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020. Hurricane Delta made landfall Wednesday just south of the Mexican resort of Cancun as a Category 2 storm, downing trees and knocking out power to some resorts along the northeastern coast of Yucatan Peninsula.
(AP Photo/Victor Ruiz Garcia) A view of a flooded street in Cancun, Mexico, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020. Hurricane Delta made landfall Wednesday just south of the Mexican resort of Cancun as a Category 2 storm, downing trees and knocking out power to some resorts along the northeastern coast of Yucatan Peninsula.
(AP Photo/Victor Ruiz Garcia) A view of a flooded street in Cancun, Mexico, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020. Hurricane Delta made landfall Wednesday just south of the Mexican resort of Cancun as a Category 2 storm, downing trees and knocking out power to some resorts along the northeastern coast of Yucatan Peninsula.
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(AP Photo/Victor Ruiz Garcia) A tree lays on its side, toppled by Hurricane Delta in Cancun, Mexico, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020. Hurricane Delta made landfall Wednesday just south of the Mexican resort of Cancun as a Category 2 storm, downing trees and knocking out power to some resorts along the northeastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula.
(AP Photo/Victor Ruiz Garcia) A tree lays on its side, toppled by Hurricane Delta in Cancun, Mexico, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020. Hurricane Delta made landfall Wednesday just south of the Mexican resort of Cancun as a Category 2 storm, downing trees and knocking out power to some resorts along the northeastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula.
(AP Photo/Victor Ruiz Garcia) A tree lays on its side, toppled by Hurricane Delta in Cancun, Mexico, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020. Hurricane Delta made landfall Wednesday just south of the Mexican resort of Cancun as a Category 2 storm, downing trees and knocking out power to some resorts along the northeastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula.
(AP Photo/Victor Ruiz Garcia) A tree lays on its side, toppled by Hurricane Delta in Cancun, Mexico, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020. Hurricane Delta made landfall Wednesday just south of the Mexican resort of Cancun as a Category 2 storm, downing trees and knocking out power to some resorts along the northeastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula.
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(ABC News) There is some hope that as Delta approaches the western Gulf Coast of the U.S., it will weaken due to the cooler water and atmospheric shear.
(ABC News) There is some hope that as Delta approaches the western Gulf Coast of the U.S., it will weaken due to the cooler water and atmospheric shear.
(ABC News) There is some hope that as Delta approaches the western Gulf Coast of the U.S., it will weaken due to the cooler water and atmospheric shear.
(ABC News) There is some hope that as Delta approaches the western Gulf Coast of the U.S., it will weaken due to the cooler water and atmospheric shear.
Storm surge, damaging winds and flooding rainfall all will be a threat in the western to central Gulf Coast.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards has declared a state of emergency.
“We have seen an active hurricane season already, with a devastating hit in Southwest Louisiana from Hurricane Laura. It would be a mistake for anyone in Louisiana to let down their guard,” he said.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has also issued a state of emergency and ordered some evacuations.
Heavy rainfall will fall not only on the coast, but also well inland, all the way up the Mississippi River to Tennessee and into the Ohio River Valley on Saturday. Flash flooding is expected in these areas this weekend.
