Hurricane Delta crashed onshore in Mexico early Wednesday morning, cutting power and causing damage along its path, but losing wind intensity as it moved over land.
Oct.7 (UPI) — The storm-weary Gulf Coast, an area still reeling from back-to-back blows from devastating Hurricane Laura and more recently Sally, is bracing for yet another strike, this time a potentially disastrous one from Hurricane Delta. The formidable hurricane crashed onshore in Mexico early Wednesday morning, cutting power and causing damage along its path, but losing wind intensity as it moved over land. Forecasters warned that the hurricane is expected to regain strength and return to major hurricane status as it emerges over the warm waters of the southern Gulf of Mexico and begins barreling toward the U.S. coast. Delta weakened overnight as it tracked closer to the northeastern part of the Yucatan Peninsula, eventually making landfall in Mexico around 5:30 a.m. CDT Wednesday near the town of Puerto Morelos, south of Cancun along the Riviera Maya. At the time of landfall, Delta was a strong Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph, just 1 mph below major hurricane strength. Maximum sustained winds had weakened to 100 mph by 1 p.m. CDT Wednesday as the storm raced northwestward across the Yucatan Peninsula, unleashing life-threatening storm surge and strong winds. The eye of the storm was about 115 miles west of Cabo Catoche, Mexico, and 65 miles east-northeast of Progreso, Mexico, and was moving northwest at 17 mph. Video of a wooden spear lodged into the rental car of Extreme Meteorologist Reed Timmer in Cancun, reporting for AccuWeather on Delta, showed the ferocity of winds lashing the region. Timmer reported pockets of extreme damage, including significant structural damage, in the region as he surveyed the scene on Wednesday morning, noting that Delta’s winds were enhanced as they had funneled through buildings. He shared several videos showing complete destruction along the waterfront of Cancun. Timmer, who is staying at a secure concrete structure in the area, reported earlier Wednesday from the northern eye wall of Delta as sand was getting whipped into the air amid Delta’s landfall. Power outages were also occurring in downtown Cancun, he said. As Delta clears Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, the hurricane will re-strengthen and grow in size over the southern Gulf of Mexico prior to taking aim at the Louisiana coast with damaging winds, life-threatening storm surge and widespread flooding to end this week. The hurricane is forecast to ramp back up to a Category 3 storm and then reach Category 4 status while over the southern Gulf of Mexico later Wednesday night and Thursday. A Category 3 hurricane has sustained winds of 111 to 129 mph, while a Category 4 storm has sustained winds of 130 to 156 mph. „Delta will take aim at the Louisiana coast on Friday where it is expected to bring a dangerous and life-threatening storm surge, heavy flooding rainfall, damaging winds along the coast as well as isolated tornadoes from Friday into Saturday,“ AccuWeather’s top hurricane expert Dan Kottlowski said. „The heavy rainfall, lingering, damaging winds and isolated tornado threat will expand into Mississippi and part of Alabama Friday night and Saturday,“ Kottlowski added. As Delta pushes inland after landfall in Louisiana during Friday night, cities such as Lafayette, Baton Rouge, and Alexandria, Louisiana, and Jackson, Natchez and Vicksburg, Mississippi, could be hit hard with damaging winds and flooding rain. Some weakening is forecast prior to landfall in the U.S. late Friday, but a strike by a major hurricane is still expected in Louisiana with an AccuWeather RealImpact™ Scale for Hurricanes rated as a 3 based on the anticipated flooding rainfall, damaging winds, dangerous storm surge and a number of other economic factors. This scale, developed by AccuWeather, provides a more comprehensive outlook for impacts from tropical storms and hurricanes on land areas than the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, which is based solely on wind speed. While the water is warm over the southern Gulf of Mexico, it is not quite as warm as that of the northwestern Caribbean.
