A Twitter friend of mine asked me to publicize his sister's tweet. I'll have a complete update on the storm about 10:10 this morning. 

The red highlighted coast is under a hurricane warning.  There is a storm surge warning for the red area below.

Winds gusted to at least 104 mph as Hurricane Delta moved through Cancun. A hurricane watch (pink) has been issued for the far east Texas coast and the Louisiana coast of the Mississippi Delta.  The National Hurricane Center is forecasting the storm to regain major hurricane status before it makes landfall on Friday. I am forecasting a major storm surge  will affect the Louisiana coast and points east as far as Mobile Bay.  Here is the storm surge forecast. It is time to make precautions on the Louisiana coast as the new run of models indicates that is where the storm is currently headed.  Safety Recommendations With COVID Factored In: Make a hotel/motel reservation well inland. There is no point to getting on the road and finding everything already sold out.  Be sure and cancel if you do not need the room.  In this case, I would go west (e.g., Lake Charles, Beaumont) to stay away from both winds and flooding.  Make provisions for infirm friends/r...

Here is the satellite image from 7:15pm. The storm is an a dangerous Cat 4 with 145 mph winds and pressure of 953 millibars. On its forecasted path, it will do serious damage to the City of Cancun, Mexico.  As to the United States, the forecast path is still forecasted to be similar to the forecast made this morning (see below).   If you live near the Gulf Coast in Louisiana, Mississippi or Alabama, please prepare for what could be a major storm surge.  Unfortunately, I had a medical procedure this afternoon and I am not able to write any more at this time.  

Well, that didn't take long. Delta is now a Cat 4 with 130 mph winds. Pressure is now 954 millibars. Further strengthening is likely before the storm reaches the Yucatan Peninsula (10:20am). --- original posting --- This is a satellite image of Hurricane Delta as of 9:41am. The storm has a central pressure of 955 mb and maximum winds of 115 mph (Cat 3) which makes it a "major" hurricane. The storm is still intensifying. Delta is expected to be an extremely dangerous Cat 4 hurricane -- with 140 to 145 mph winds --  when it arrives on the Yucatan. My opinion: People in Cancun and Cozumel should evacuate coastal areas.  Below is the National Hurricane Center's forecast. M = major hurricane. H = hurricane. Red = hurricane warning.  Please do not focus on the exact path at the time of landfall in the United States. It could occur anywhere in the white dotted area. The hurricane is still expected to be dangerous at that time with a serious storm surge.  It is tim...

 Delta has 110 mph winds and the pressure continues to drop rapidly. The latest reading from the Hurricane Hunters is 958 millibars.  Full update in about an hour. 

As forecasted in the posting below, the storm rapidly intensified this evening. As of 9pm, my assessment of the situation is that Hurricane Delta has maximum surface winds of 80-85 mph with a minimum barometric pressure of 977 millibars -- a tremendous drop in pressure the last 12 hours.  Here is NHC's 8pm forecast path. H = hurricane. M = major hurricane (winds 115 mph or stronger).  I expect Delta to be a Cat 3 or Cat 4 hurricane when it threatens Cancun, a dangerous situation.  It is time to make precautions on the Louisiana coast as the new run of models indicates that is where the storm is currently headed.  Safety Recommendations With COVID Factored In: Make a hotel/motel reservation well inland. There is no point to getting on the road and finding everything already sold out.  Be sure and cancel if you do not need the room.  In this case, I would go west (e.g., Lake Charles, Beaumont) to stay away from both winds and flooding.  Ma...