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The hurricane is expected to make landfall on the storm-battered Louisiana coast by late this week.

Accuweather

Hurricane Delta is expected to make landfall on Friday after roaring across the Gulf of Mexico as a havoc-wreaking storm that strengthened to a 120-mph Category 3 “major” hurricane.

Delta’s latest path presents a “worst-case scenario” for Lake Charles and southwestern Louisiana, a city and region still broken by Hurricane Laura six weeks ago, though its effects will be felt all the way into Mississippi.

People along the coast spent Thursday boarding up their homes, filling up their cars with gas and stocking up on food.

“You can always get another house, another car, but not another life,” Hilton Stroder said as he and his wife boarded up their homes before heading out of town.

“This is not a bad dream; it’s not a test run,” Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter said Thursday in a Facebook post. “These are the cards we’ve been dealt. I don’t think Lake Charles will be a safe place to be this weekend.”

As of 2 a.m. EDT Friday, Delta was located 250 miles south of Cameron, Louisiana, moving north-northwest at 12 mph. 

Speaking about its potential landfall along the southwestern Louisiana coast, National Weather Service meteorologist Benjamin Schott said “it’s the worst-case scenario.”

Hurricanes, wildfires, drought and more: Hurricane Delta could be the USA’s record-breaking 17th weather disaster of 2020

AccuWeather hurricane expert Dan Kottlowski said Delta was expected to continue to grow in size and strength, likely maintaining Category 3 status over the Gulf before slamming into the Louisiana coast late Friday.

A Category 3 hurricane has sustained winds of 111 to 129 mph and is considered to be a “major” hurricane.

“Delta … is expected to bring a dangerous and life-threatening storm surge, heavy flooding rainfall, damaging winds along the coast as well as isolated tornadoes from Friday into Saturday,” Kottlowski warned.

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The storm’s forward speed and the amount of wind shear – an increase in wind speed with altitude along with a sudden change in wind direction – it encounters will determine its wind strength at landfall, Kottlowski said.

“Regardless of a loss in wind intensity near the core, surge and wind impacts will still be potentially devastating along and near where the hurricane makes landfall,” Kottlowski said.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards announced that President Donald Trump has approved the state’s request for a federal emergency declaration in advance of the storm.

“All who live in south Louisiana should be preparing for Hurricane Delta and plan to be in place by Thursday evening as we prepare to weather yet another strong hurricane,” Edwards said.

Southwestern Louisiana is still recovering from Hurricane Laura, a Category 4 storm that pounded the area in August. Thousands of Laura evacuees remain in hotels around the state.

Delta’s heavy rainfall, winds and isolated tornado threat will expand into Mississippi and part of Alabama late Friday and Saturday. The National Weather Service said Delta could produce 3 to 6 inches of rain, with isolated maximum totals of 10 inches, in western Mississippi.

“We are tracking this closely and operators are getting ready for action,” Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said on Twitter. “Prep for the worst. Pray for the best. God bless and stay safe.”

Delta continued the record-breaking theme of the current hurricane season, becoming the earliest storm to be named Delta. The Greek alphabet is tapped for names after the predetermined 21 names have been used. The previous record-holding Delta storm formed on Nov. 15, 2005. 

Delta would be the 10th named storm to hit the U.S. in a single season, also an all-time record. This year has tied 1916 for nine tropical systems that made landfall in the U.S., AccuWeather said. 

Contributing: Greg Hilburn, Monroe News-Star; Amber Roberson, Mississippi Clarion Ledger; Doyle Rice and Jessica Flores, USA TODAY; The Associated Press

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