Currently, the storm is located about 260 miles east-southeast of Cozumel, Mexico and is traveling west-northwest at a speed of 16 mph, says forecasters with NHC.
As of now, Delta has maximum sustained winds of 140 mph and is expected to strengthen as it travels toward the Yucatan Peninsula. Currently, there are hurricane warnings in place from Tulum to Dzilam Mexico and Cozumel.
The storm is expected to move into the southern Gulf of Mexico midday on Wednesday and into the central Gulf on Thursday. The storm will likely weaken into a Category 2 storm as it reaches Louisiana and possibly a portion of Florida’s Panhandle on Friday.
While the storm projection cone contains possible paths for the storm’s center, hazardous conditions can happen far outside of the cone. Parts of the southeastern United States, including Florida, along with Tennessee Valley and portions of the central Gulf Coast are likely to experience heavy rainfall as well as flash flooding later this week.
The NHC said there is also a risk of storm surge and dangerous winds starting Thursday or Friday.
“Regardless of the exact path, storm surge, wind and heavy rainfall is possible in Northwest Florida at the end of this week,” Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office warned in an email.
The 2020 hurricane season has now had 31 systems overall, with Delta making the fourth storm to be named from the Greek alphabet.
Support local journalism in these crazy days. Our small but mighty team is working tirelessly to bring you up to the minute news on how Coronavirus is affecting Tampa and surrounding areas. Please consider making a one time or monthly donation to help support our staff. Every little bit helps.
Follow @cl_tampabay on Twitter to get the most up-to-date news + views. Subscribe to our newsletter, too.
This article appears in Best of the Bay 2020.