Late Morning Notes On Delta
10:30a CT UPDATE: Delta has become the third major hurricane of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season with sustained winds of 130 mph, category four strength.
It will pass very close to Cancun early tomorrow before moving into the Gulf of Mexico.
*There is an increasing likelihood of life-threatening storm surge and dangerous hurricane-force winds, especially along the coasts of Louisiana and Mississippi, beginning on Friday.
*Increasing southwesterly shear and cooler shelf waters near the Gulf coast are expected to cause some reduction in wind speed, but Delta is still expected to be a dangerous hurricane when it nears the Louisiana coast.
*While the primary storm surge and wind damage threat will be west of Alabama, across Southeast Louisiana and the Mississippi coast, some surge flooding is likely along the Alabama Gulf Coast Friday into Saturday morning. It is a little too early to forecast surge amounts.
*Sustained winds of 20-40 mph look likely for Mobile and Baldwin counties Friday night, with gusts to 45 mph. Winds across the Florida Panhandle (Pensacola to Panama City Beach) will be in the 15-25 mph range.
*A few brief waterspouts or tornadoes are possible Friday and Friday night anywhere from the Mississippi coast to Apalachicola.
*Dangerous rip currents are likely on the Gulf Coast through Saturday.
*Rain amounts for Mobile and Baldwin counties should be close to 4 inches; amounts for the Florida Panhandle are forecast to be in the 2-3 inch range.
*While rain is likely along the Alabama and NW Florida coasts Thursday, Friday, and into early Saturday, the weather will improve on the Gulf Coast Saturday afternoon as Delta moves inland. Then, routine weather is expected Sunday through much of next week with a good supply of sunshine each day.
REMEMBER: When you are dealing with a tropical system, forecast changes are likely. Be sure and see the latest updates in coming days; if you are working with old information, you are working with bad information.
Category: Alabama's Weather, Tropical
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James Spann is one of the most recognized and trusted television meteorologists in the industry. He holds the AMS CCM designation and television seals from the AMS and NWA. He is a past winner of the Broadcast Meteorologist of the Year from both professional organizations.Subscribe
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