Hurricane Delta
Current storm status Category 3 hurricane (1-min mean)
Satellite image Forecast map
As of:	10:00 p.m. CDT (3:00 UTC October 9) October 8
Location:	25°42′N 93°36′W / 25.7°N 93.6°W / 25.7; -93.6 (Hurricane Delta) ± 20 nm About 285 mi (455 km) S of Cameron, Louisiana
Sustained winds:	105 kn (120 mph; 195 km/h) (1-min mean) gusting to 130 kn (150 mph; 240 km/h)
Pressure:	955 mbar (28.20 inHg)
Movement:	NNW at 10 kn (12 mph; 19 km/h)
See more detailed information.

Hurricane Delta is currently a strengthening Category 3 hurricane that is threatening the Gulf Coast of the United States after impacting Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, Western Cuba, and the Yucatán Peninsula. The twenty-sixth tropical cyclone, twenty-fifth named storm, ninth hurricane, and third major hurricane of the very active 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, Delta formed from a tropical wave which was first monitored by the NHC on October 1. Moving westward, the wave began to quickly organize and due to its imminent threat to land, it was designated Potential Tropical Cyclone Twenty-Six late on October 4. The next day, the system sufficiently organized and was designated as Tropical Depression Twenty-Six, and soon thereafter, Tropical Storm Delta. Explosive intensification ensued throughout October 5 into October 6, with Delta becoming a Category 4 hurricane within 28 hours of attaining tropical storm status and its pressure bottomed out at 954 mb before its winds peaked at 145 mph. The rate of intensification was the fastest in the Atlantic basin since Hurricane Wilma in 2005. After peaking in intensity however, an unexpected slight increase in wind shear^[1] greatly disrupted the small core of Delta and the storm quickly weakened before making landfall in Puerto Morelos, Mexico, as a high-end Category 2 hurricane. It weakened some more over land before emerging into the Gulf of Mexico, where it was downgraded to a Category 1 hurricane. After that, it began to restrengthen, regaining Category 3 status at 21:00 UTC on October 8.^[2]

Widespread tropical cyclone watches and warnings were issued throughout the Western Caribbean and the Mexican states of Yucatán and Quintana Roo in preparation for the storm. As Delta moved out of the Gulf of Mexico, more watches were issued for the U.S. Gulf Coast an area that had already seen multiple strong hurricanes earlier in the season. States of emergency were also declared in the U.S. states of Louisiana and Alabama and several coastal and low-lying areas were ordered to evacuate. In Mexico, trees and power lines were blown down and roofs were ripped off homes and other buildings. Two people have been killed by the storm.

At 00:00 UTC on October 1, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) began to monitor a tropical wave moving into the Eastern Caribbean for potential development.^[3] It moved steadily westward at 15–20 miles per hour (24–32 km/h) and began to organize late on October 3.^[4] Although it lacked sufficient organization to be deemed a tropical cyclone, its imminent threat to land and likely cyclogenesis prompted the NHC to initiate advisories on the disturbance, classifying it as Potential Tropical Cyclone Twenty-Six at 21:00 UTC at October 4.^[5] At 03:00 UTC on October 5, the system organized into Tropical Depression Twenty-Six.^[6]

Nine hours later, the depression strengthened into a tropical storm, whereupon it was assigned the name Delta.^[7] This marked the earliest occurrence of a season's 25th tropical or subtropical storm, surpassing Tropical Storm Gamma of 2005 by 44 days.^[8] Continuing westward in defiance of forecasts that repeatedly predicted that Delta would turn northwestward, Delta began a period of rapid intensification, becoming a Category 1 hurricane 12 hours after being named.^[9] Delta finally began to turn northwestward early on October 6.^[10] The storm continued to rapidly intensify, reaching Category 2 status just 9 hours later at 09:00 UTC;^[11] its intensification was described as the fastest in a 24-hour period since Hurricane Wilma of 2005.^[12] By 12:30 UTC, Delta began to develop a small pinhole eye only 6 nautical miles (6.9 miles) in diameter.^[13] Rapid intensification continued and at 15:00 UTC, Delta was upgraded to Category 3 major hurricane status, before reaching Category 4 status just twenty minutes later, after an NOAA hurricane Hunter aircraft indicated that the storm's 1-minute sustained wind speed was at 130 mph (210 km/h).^[14][15]

Delta's pressure bottomed out at 954 mbars (28.17 inHg) upon the storm's upgrade to Category 4 status.^[15] It rose slightly after that, but Delta's winds continued to increase and at 21:00 UTC, it peaked at 145 mph (233 km/h). At the time, its pressure was 956 mb (28.23 inHg), an unusually high pressure for a storm this strong.^[16] After holding its intensity for about six hours, a small increase in wind shear significantly disrupted Delta's small core and the storm abruptly weakened as its banding features became less defined and its eye completely disappeared.^[17] It accelerated northwestward and at around 05:45 UTC on October 7, the storm made landfall at Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico, as a high-end Category 2 storm with winds of 110 mph (175 km/h).^[18] It subsequently weakened some more as it moved over the Yucatán Peninsula and into the Gulf of Mexico and was bottomed out at a 85 mph (140 km/h) Category 1 hurricane.^[19][20] Afterwards, Delta finally began to reorganize and it regained Category 2 intensity at 06:00 UTC on October 8.^[21] Delta steadily became more organized on the morning of October 8, with an eye becoming evident on satellite imagery and a lowering minimum central pressure.^[22] It regained Category 3 intensity at 21:00 UTC.^[2]

As of 10:00 p.m. CDT (3:00 UTC October 9) October 8, Hurricane Delta is located within 20 nautical miles of 25°42′N 93°36′W / 25.7°N 93.6°W / 25.7; -93.6 (Delta), about 285 mi (555 km) south of Cameron, Louisiana. Maximum sustained winds are 105 knots (120 mph; 195 km/h) with gusts up to 130 knots (150 mph; 240 km/h). The minimum barometric pressure is 955 mbar (28.20 inHg), and the system is moving North northwest at 10 knots (12 mph; 19 km/h). Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 40 miles (65 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend up to 160 miles (260 km) from the center.

For the latest official information, see:

• The NHC's latest public advisory on Hurricane Delta
• The NHC's latest forecast advisory on Hurricane Delta
• The NHC's latest forecast discussion on Hurricane Delta

Template:HurricaneWarningsTable

Tropical storm warnings was issued for the islands of Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac when advisories were first initiated on Potential Tropical Cyclone Twenty-Six.^[23] In the Cayman Islands, all public schools were closed from October 5 to October 6 as the rainbands were forecast to bring high winds and flooding to the islands. All government offices were on the afternoon of October 5 and remained closed for the entire day on October 6. Cayman Airways reported cancellation of its flights. The Red Cross shelter on Huldah Avenue is on stand-by in the event of flooding. The government set up facilities for shelter with proper protocol for COVID-19 for people with the virus isolating at home. All Government events on October 5-6 were cancelled, including Older Person’s Month activities.^[24]

When the initial advisory was issued for Potential Tropical Cyclone Twenty-Six, a hurricane watch was issued for the provinces Pinar del Río, Artemisa and the Isle of Youth while a tropical storm watch was issued for La Habana.^[23] Three hours after the storm was upgraded to Tropical Storm Delta, the watch for Pinar del Río was upgraded to a hurricane warning while a Tropical Storm Warning was issued for the Isle of Youth.^[25] This, however, was downgraded to a tropical storm warning when Hurricane Delta jogged south and put less of the area in harm’s way.^[9]

As Delta was nearing landfall in Quintana Roo, many communities were still being impacted by the remnants of Tropical Storm Gamma, which caused six deaths and left thousands of people homeless.^[26][27] Just minutes after tropical storm watches and warnings for Tropical Storm Gamma were dropped from the Yucatan Peninsula, a hurricane warning was issued for the northeastern part of the peninsula after Delta jogged south, putting more of the region in the line of potential impact.^[28][29] More tropical storm warnings were put up shortly thereafter.^[9] President Andrés Manuel López Obrador reported on October 6 that Admiral José Rafael Ojeda Durán, Secretary of the Navy, and Laura Velázquez, National Coordinator of Civil Protection, were traveling to Quintana Roo to help with preparations for Hurricane Delta. The federal government also had been communicating with Governor of Quintana Roo Carlos Joaquín González since October 5.^[30] In addition, the president announced on October 6 the activation of the DN-III-E emergency plan and the mobilization of 5,000 soldiers of the Armed Forces to the southeast of the country, to help with the evacuation of sheltering of people still recovering from Tropical Storm Gamma.^[27] More than 4,000 people, including tourists and residents, were evacuated from Holbox due to the threat of life-threatening impacts from Hurricane Delta. Seven of the 59 shelters that exist in the municipality of Lázaro Cárdenas with a capacity of 1,800 people have been enabled.^[31] A total of 41,000 tourists were evacuated from the state of Quintana Roo, and a red alert was declared for the state. Many hotels and archaeological sites in the Yucatan Peninsula were closed, including the busy historical sites of Chichen Itzá and Tulum.^[27] In Cancún, 160 shelters were opened for tourists and residents. In addition, around 400 tourists were sheltering at the Cancún Convention Center, and some 300 guests and 200 staff from the Fiesta Americana Condesa hotel were taking shelter, at the Technological Institute of Cancún campus.^[32] One lower division soccer match was postponed on October 8.^[33]

Tourists and visitors were ordered to leave Alabama's Barrier Islands as of October 6 while a state of emergency was also declared for the state.^[34] On October 8, the SEC announced that the kickoff for the upcoming Alabama football game against Ole Miss will be pushed back to 6:30 pm.^[35]

The area that Delta is threatening currently was the same area affected by the stronger Category 4 Hurricane Laura a little over one month earlier. Many residents were still "traumatized" due to significant damage from Hurricane Laura still evident in coastal areas. Around 5,600 residents were still located in hotels six weeks after Laura struck because their homes were destroyed by the hurricane.^[36]

On October 6, Governor of Louisiana, John Bel Edwards, declared a state of emergency ahead of Hurricane Delta.^[37] The Houston SPCA evacuated 15 cats from a shelter in Louisiana to their shelter in Houston.^[38] A group of firefighters from Tulsa, Oklahoma, traveled to Monroe to set-up a shelter for evacuees and help with swift-water rescues along the coast.^[39] Waitr offered free grocery delivery in Lafayette for those unable or choosing not to go out in public to prepare for the storm.^[40] On October 7, the Governor John Bel Edwards conferred with President of the United States Donald Trump, who agreed to sign a disaster declaration for the entire state ahead of the storm.^[41]

In college football, a matchup between Louisiana-Lafayette and Coastal Carolina was postponed to October 14.^[42] In addition, the matchup between LSU and Missouri was relocated to Faurot Field in Columbia, Missouri.^[43]

The oil drilling companies of BP and BHP began evacuating non-essential personnel from their offshore platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. BHP also plans to shut production at its facilities by October 7.^[44]

The storm brought power outages and downed trees in Cancún and Cozumel.^[45] A peak wind gust of 110 mph (175 km/h) was reported in Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, where the hurricane made landfall. Another wind gust of 106 mph (171 km/h) was reported in nearby Cancún.^[46] Civil defense official Luís Alberto Vázquez said there were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries, but reported that Delta downed about 95 trees and caused blackouts in parts of the Yucatán Peninsula. Many hotels and resorts lost electricity and air conditioning.^[47] Street flooding was reported in Cozumel.^[48] Many piers were destroyed due to storm surge, and several buildings near the coast were also destroyed.^[46] Before the arrival of the hurricane, a 65-year-old man in Tizimin, Yucatán, lost his life after falling from the second floor of his house while preparing for the storm.^[49] Following the storm a woman lost her life in Merida after touching a downed pole and thus being electrocuted.^[50]

The precursor to Delta brought squally weather in the Lesser Antilles, ABC Islands, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Hispaniola.^[51][52]

There has been an upward trend in rapid intensification events in the Atlantic basin, consistent with expectations from climate change.^[53][54] Delta, the strongest Atlantic hurricane to receive a Greek name,^[55] rapidly intensified from a 35 mph (55 km/h) tropical depression to a 130 mph (215 km/h) Category 4 hurricane in twenty-four hours, the fastest such occurrence on record and the most rapid intensification observed in the Atlantic basin since that of Hurricane Wilma in 2005.^[56][57] Additionally, Delta was the strongest Atlantic hurricane to form in the western Caribbean between Jamaica^[58] and the Yucatán Peninsula since Hurricane Paloma in 2008.^[59] Delta is the earliest 25th named storm on record, surpassing Tropical Storm Gamma of 2005 by 41 days.^[60]

• Tropical cyclones in 2020
• List of Category 4 Atlantic hurricanes
• Hurricane Audrey (1957) – Very deadly category 3 hurricane that made landfall just around the Texas–Louisiana state line.
• Hurricane Gilbert (1988) – Category 5 hurricane that affected similar areas.
• Hurricane Emily (2005) – Category 5 hurricane that affected similar areas.
• Hurricane Wilma (2005) – Category 5 hurricane that affected similar areas and also underwent explosive intensification, becoming the strongest Atlantic hurricane ever recorded.
• Hurricane Rina (2011) - Category 3 hurricane that also significantly weakened before landfall in the Yucatán Peninsula.

• The National Hurricane Center's Advisory Archive on Hurricane Delta
• National Hurricane Center (NHC)