Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued as Hurricane Zeta menaces the Gulf Coast with damaging winds and a dangerous storm surge.
On Wednesday, Zeta churned in the Gulf of Mexico, packing maximum sustained winds of 90 mph and moving north at 18 mph. The system first formed southeast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula before moving toward shore as a hurricane. It later weakened into a tropical storm as it passed over the peninsula before exiting on Wednesday and restrengthening into a Category 1 hurricane.
“On the forecast track, the center of Zeta will make landfall in southeastern Louisiana this afternoon. Zeta will then move close to the Mississippi coast this evening and move across the southeastern and eastern United States on Thursday,” the National Hurricane Center said in a Wednesday morning bulletin.
It added that “life-threatening storm surge and damaging winds” are likely in the areas along the coast where warnings are in place. Hurricane warnings have been issued along most of Louisiana’s southeast coast and the entire coast of Mississippi. Tropical storm warnings have been issued for the coast of Alabama and part of Florida’s panhandle.
A life-threatening storm surge is expected later today as #Zeta impacts the Northern Gulf Coast. Here is the latest peak storm surge forecast. pic.twitter.com/XEHf1vgv54
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) October 28, 2020
If Zeta makes landfall in Louisiana, it will be the fifth tropical system to strike the weather-weary state this year. The Bayou State was recently walloped by Hurricane Laura and Hurricane Delta, both making landfall in similar areas. Laura made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in late August and was the strongest storm of the season, killing several people.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency on Monday in anticipation of the storm’s forecast landfall. Jefferson and Terrebonne parishes issued mandatory evacuation orders for coastal areas, and New Orleans has voluntary evacuations in place for some areas, according to CNN.
“Again, we stand ready and prepared and wanting to, again, encourage our people to not have fatigue as relates to being prepared,” New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said.
The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season has been extremely active and is tied with 2005 for having the highest number of named storm systems. It is only the second year, after 2005, that the list of named storms for the year has been exhausted, requiring the use of the Greek alphabet as backup.
#Zeta now has max winds of 90 mph – the strongest #hurricane this far west (91.7°W) in the Gulf of Mexico this late in the calendar year on record. pic.twitter.com/Q4xvEKeQ5Z
— Philip Klotzbach (@philklotzbach) October 28, 2020
