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Zeta’s Strong Winds & Heavy Rains Lashing the Yucatan Peninsula

| October 26, 2020 @ 10:06 pm

SUMMARY OF 1000 PM CDT…0300 UTC…INFORMATION
———————————————–
LOCATION…20.2N 87.1W
ABOUT 25 MI…40 KM E OF TULUM MEXICO
ABOUT 625 MI…1010 KM SSE OF THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS…80 MPH…130 KM/H
PRESENT MOVEMENT…NW OR 305 DEGREES AT 13 MPH…20 KM/H
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE…982 MB…29.00 INCHES

WATCHES AND WARNINGS
——————–
CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY:

None

SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT:

A Hurricane Warning is in effect for…
* Punta Allen to Progreso Mexico
* Cozumel

A Storm Surge Watch is in effect for…
* Intracoastal City Louisiana to Navarre Florida
* Lake Borgne, Lake Pontchartrain, Vermilion Bay, Pensacola Bay, and
Mobile Bay

A Hurricane Watch is in effect for…
* Morgan City Louisiana to the Mississippi/Alabama border
* Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas, and Metropolitan New Orleans

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for…
* Mississippi/Alabama border to Okaloosa/Walton County Line Florida
* West of Morgan City to Intracoastal City Louisiana

DISCUSSION AND OUTLOOK
———————-
At 1000 PM CDT (0300 UTC), the center of Hurricane Zeta was located
near latitude 20.2 North, longitude 87.1 West. Zeta is moving toward
the northwest near 13 mph (20 km/h), and this general motion is
forecast during the next day or so. Zeta should turn toward the
north Tuesday night, and a faster northward to north-northeastward
motion is anticipated on Wednesday. On the forecast track, the
center of Zeta will move over the northern Yucatan Peninsula during
the next couple of hours, move over the southern Gulf of Mexico on
Tuesday, and approach the northern Gulf Coast in the watch area on
Wednesday.

Maximum sustained winds remain near 80 mph (130 km/h) with higher
gusts. Some slight strengthening is possible before Zeta makes
landfall in the Yucatan Peninsula. Weakening is forecast while Zeta
moves over the Yucatan Peninsula late tonight and early Tuesday.
Zeta is forecast to re-strengthen when it moves over the southern
Gulf of Mexico later on Tuesday and be at or near hurricane strength
when it approaches the northern Gulf Coast on Wednesday.

Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 45 miles (75 km) from the
center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 140 miles
(220 km). A Weatherflow station just south of Playa del Carmen
reported sustained winds of 67 mph (108 km/h) with a gust to 87 mph
(140 km/h). Another Weatherflow station in Cancun recently reported
sustained winds of 60 mph (97 km/h) with a gust to 72 mph (116
km/h).

The estimated minimum central pressure is 982 mb (29.00 inches).

HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND
———————-
Key messages for Zeta can be found in the Tropical Cyclone
Discussion under AWIPS header MIATCDAT3, WMO header WTNT43
KNHC, and on the web at www.hurricanes.gov/text/MIATCDAT3.shtml.

STORM SURGE: A dangerous storm surge will raise water levels by
as much as 2 to 4 feet above normal tide levels along the immediate
coast in the Hurricane Warning area near and to the north of where
the center makes landfall in the Yucatan Peninsula.

The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause
normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters
moving inland from the shoreline. The water could reach the
following heights above ground somewhere in the indicated areas if
the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide…

Port Fourchon LA to Dauphin Island AL including Lake Borgne…4-6
ft
Intracoastal City LA to Port Fourchon LA including Vermilion
Bay…2-4 ft
Dauphin Island AL to Navarre FL including Mobile Bay and Pensacola
Bay…2-4 ft
Lake Pontchartrain…2-4 ft
Navarre FL to Yankeetown FL including Choctawhatchee Bay and Saint
Andrew Bay…1-3 ft

The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to
the right of the landfall location, where the surge will be
accompanied by large and dangerous waves. Surge-related flooding
depends on the relative timing of the surge and the tidal cycle,
and can vary greatly over short distances. For information
specific to your area, please see products issued by your local
National Weather Service forecast office.

RAINFALL: Rainfall totals of 4 to 8 inches with local amounts of 12
inches are possible through Tuesday along and east-northeast of
Zeta’s track across the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico and the Cayman
Islands. An additional 1 to 3 inches of rain will be possible across
western Cuba through Tuesday.

An initial area of heavy rains will begin to impact the central Gulf
Coast Tuesday night, spreading north into the Tennessee Valley on
Wednesday. The core of the heavy rains associated with Zeta will
push northeast from eastern Louisiana, across southern Mississippi,
Alabama, northern Georgia through Wednesday night, and through the
southern Appalachians into the Mid-Atlantic on Thursday. Rainfall
totals of 2 to 4 inches with isolated amounts of 6 inches are
expected across these areas, resulting in flash, urban, small
stream, and minor river flooding.

WIND: Hurricane conditions are already occurring within the
Hurricane Warning area and should continue for the next several
hours.

Hurricane conditions are possible within the Hurricane Watch area on
the northern Gulf Coast late Wednesday, and tropical storm
conditions are possible within the Tropical Storm Watch area on the
northern Gulf Coast late Wednesday.

Category: ALL POSTS, Severe Weather, Tropical

About the Author ()

Scott Martin is an operational meteorologist, professional graphic artist, musician, husband, and father. Not only is Scott a member of the National Weather Association, but he is also the Central Alabama Chapter of the NWA president. Scott is also the co-founder of Racecast Weather, which provides forecasts for many racing series across the USA. He also supplies forecasts for the BassMaster Elite Series events including the BassMaster Classic.

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