Delta’s tropical storm-force winds near coast

This Oct. 8, 2020 photo made available by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Hurricane Delta in the Gulf of Mexico at 12:41 p.m. EDT. Delta, gaining strength as it bears down on the U.S. Gulf Coast, is the latest and nastiest in a recent flurry of rapidly intensifying Atlantic hurricanes that scientists largely blame on global warming. (NOAA via AP)

by: Associated Press

Posted: Oct 9, 2020 / 08:50 AM AST

Updated: Oct 9, 2020 / 08:50 AM AST

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Forecasters say tropical storm-force winds are now near the Louisiana coastline as Hurricane Delta bears down on the region.

The National Hurricane Center said the center of the storm was about 160 miles (257 kilometers) south of Cameron, Louisiana, early Friday — and its tropical storm-force winds extend the same distance outward.

Delta is expected to bring fierce winds and a life-threatening storm surge to large parts of the Louisiana Gulf Coast when it reaches the coast later Friday.

In its 7 a.m. advisory, the Hurricane Center says Delta has maintained its maximum sustained winds of around 120 mph (193 kph). That’s an extremely dangerous Category 3 hurricane. Forecasters expect it to weaken before landfall, but they say it’s such a big storm that the surge of water could be very damaging.