Hurricane Delta has strengthened into a Category 3 storm, and forecasters say it may hit southwestern Louisiana as early as Friday.
As of Thursday afternoon, Delta is 345 miles south of Cameron, Louisiana, with 115 mph winds, the National Hurricane Center said. It could bring "life-threatening" storm surge of up to 11 feet and extreme winds to the Gulf Coast, and there are hurricane warnings in effect in Texas and Louisiana. On Wednesday, Delta brought heavy rain and wind to Cozumel and Cancun in Mexico, knocking down power lines and destroying some buildings.
Louisiana residents are preparing for the storm by boarding their windows and placing sandbags around their properties. On Thursday, Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) said it is "very clear that southwest Louisiana is going to get more of a punch from this than we would like to see, for sure, because we're still trying to recover from Hurricane Laura." Laura was a Category 4 hurricane that hit Louisiana in August, and was the strongest on record to make landfall in the state.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Massive earthquake sends tsunami across PacificSpeed Read Hundreds of thousands of people in Japan and Hawaii were told to evacuate to higher ground
-
FEMA Urban Search and Rescue chief resignsSpeed Read Ken Pagurek has left the organization, citing 'chaos'
-
Wildfires destroy historic Grand Canyon lodgeSpeed Read Dozens of structures on the North Rim have succumbed to the Dragon Bravo Fire
-
Search for survivors continues after Texas floodsSpeed Read A total of 82 people are confirmed dead, including 28 children
-
EPA is reportedly killing Energy Star programspeed read The program for energy-efficient home appliances has saved consumers billions in energy costs since its 1992 launch
-
US proposes eroding species protectionsSpeed Read The Trump administration wants to change the definition of 'harm' in the Environmental Protection Act to allow habitat damage
-
Severe storms kill dozens across central USSpeed Read At least 40 people were killed over the weekend by tornadoes, wildfires and dust storms
-
Rain helps Los Angeles wildfires, risks mudslidesSpeed Read The weather provided relief for crews working to contain wildfires, though rain over a burn area ups the chances of flooding and mudslides
