Updated Oct 7, 2020 - Science

Hurricane Delta barrels toward Gulf Coast

Rebecca Falconer

Winds lash palm trees after the passage of Hurricane Delta, in Cancun, Quintana Roo state, Mexico, on Wednesday. Photo: Pedro Pardo/AFP via Getty Images

Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi are preparing for Hurricane Delta, after the Category 2 storm made landfall on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula before heading toward the Gulf of Mexico — where it's regaining strength, the National Hurricane Center said Wednesday night.

The big picture: The governors of Alabama and Louisiana declared states of emergency Tuesday ahead of the "extremely dangerous" storm's arrival, expected on Friday. Mississippi declared a state of emergency on Wednesday. Texas could also see see tropical-storm-force winds and heavy rains, the NHC said.

The storm was downgraded from a Category 4 hurricane before it hit Mexico, where no deaths were reported. But there were power outages, downed trees and broken windows as Delta triggered floods across several Caribbean coastal cities and towns, the New York Times notes.
Delta was strengthening while moving over the south-central Gulf Of Mexico late Wednesday, the NHC said.

What to expect: "Life-threatening storm surge and damaging winds" were "increasingly likely" along parts of the Northern Gulf Coast from Friday, the hurricane center said.

Of note: This is the sixth storm this hurricane season that residents along Louisiana's coast have braced for, per AP.

"This season has been relentless," Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said. "Prepare for the worst. Pray for the best."

Editor's note: This article has been updated with more details on the storm.

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Hurricane Delta barrels toward Gulf Coast

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