Hurricane Delta now just shy of Category 3 storm

Over the last few hours, Hurricane Delta has continued to strengthen. The latest update shows wind speeds just 1 mph shy of a Category 3 storm at 110 mph. It is projected to become a Category 4 storm before tomorrow morning. It still is forecast to weaken to a Category 2 as it heads towards landfall near the Morgan City area on Friday.

At 8 a.m. EDT, the center of Hurricane Delta was located over the northwest Caribbean Sea about 115 miles (185 km) south of Grand Cayman. Delta is moving toward the west-northwest near 15 mph (24 km/h). A faster northwestward motion is expected to begin later today through Wednesday night. On the forecast track, the center of Delta is expected to continue to pass southwest of the Cayman Islands this morning, move over the northeastern portion of the Yucatan peninsula early Wednesday, move over the southern Gulf of Mexico Wednesday afternoon, and be over the southern or central Gulf of Mexico through Thursday.

Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 110 mph (175 km/h) with higher gusts – a category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 25 miles (35 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 90 miles (150 km). Additional strengthening is forecast to take place during the next 48 hours, and Delta is expected to be a major hurricane when it moves over the Yucatan Peninsula Wednesday and over the Gulf of Mexico through Thursday.

Delta is forecast to approach the northern Gulf Coast late this week as a hurricane. While there is large uncertainty in the track and intensity forecasts, there is a significant risk of dangerous storm surge, wind, and rainfall hazards along the coast from Louisiana to the western Florida Panhandle beginning Thursday night or Friday. Residents in these areas should ensure they have their hurricane plan in place and monitor updates to the forecast of Delta.