Delta makes landfall on Louisiana
From CNN’s Dave Hennen
Hurricane Delta just made landfall near Creole, Louisiana, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The estimated winds were near 100 mph, making Delta a Category 2 on the Saffir-Simpson scale, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Sustained hurricane-force winds of 77 mph, with a gust to 96 mph was recently reported near Lake Arthur, Louisiana, and a storm surge inundation of over 8 feet was recorded at Freshwater Canal Locks.
Now that the storm is inland, further weakening is expected, but damaging winds and life-threatening storm surge will continue.
Nearly 115,000 customers without power as hurricane approaches the Gulf Coast
From CNN’s Hollie Silverman
Nearly 115,000 customers are without power as of Friday evening as Hurricane Delta takes aim at the Gulf Coast, according to Poweroutage.US.
There are 64,055 customers without power in Louisiana, where the storm is expected to make landfall in the next few hours, the website said.
The parishes with the highest numbers of outages are Calcasieu, with 16,273 outages, Beauregard with 7,526, Vermillion with 8,466, and Iberia with 7,488, according to the website.
In Texas, 50,989 customers are without power, the bulk of them along the eastern part of the state. In Jefferson County, 29,544 outages were reported and 10,015 have been reported in Orange County, the website said.
Some context: Two weeks ago, Entergy announced that they had restored power to all accessible customers in southwest Louisiana following damage caused by Hurricane Laura in August.
At the peak, Laura left more than 93,000 customers in the state without power.
When reached by email Friday, Entergy did not provide numbers of people still without power in Louisiana but did say that all customers who could have their power restored did.
Hurricane Delta is just 25 miles off the Louisiana coast
Hurricane Delta is just 25 miles away from Cameron, Louisiana, according to the National Hurricane Center’s latest update.
The storm is still a Category 2 hurricane and has maximum sustained winds of 100 mph.
Nearly 92% of oil production in the Gulf shut-in ahead of Delta
Tyler Mauldin, CNN Meteorologist
Hurricane Delta has brought oil production to a screeching halt in the Gulf of Mexico.
Nearly 92% of the Gulf’s current oil production has been shut-in, according to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement Friday afternoon.
In total, seven rigs and 274 platforms have been evacuated with more than a dozen structured being repositioned out of the Delta’s path.
Here’s the full break down:
Gulf of Mexico federal offshore oil production accounts for 17% of total US crude oil production.
Facilities won’t be brought back online until passing a thorough inspection following the hurricane.
Delta will make landfall in the next few hours
Hurricane Delta will make landfall on the southwestern Louisiana coast during the next few hours, the National Hurricane Center says.
“The northern eyewall is moving ashore now,” says CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller. “The northern eyewall will likely contain some of the heaviest rain and strongest winds.”
Hurricane conditions and a life-threatening storm surge are expected in the landfall area.
Landfall is when the center of the storm crosses the coastline.
Watch:
Extended power outages expected again in Louisiana
From CNN meteorologist Tyler Mauldin
Hurricane Delta is expected to cause extended power outages in parts of Louisiana still recovering from major Hurricane Laura six weeks ago.
Laura caused the most catastrophic damage to the grid in the company’s history, Entergy Louisiana said after Laura passed through. Now, they are already are seeing power outages increase as Delta nears the coast.
As of 4 p.m. ET, nearly 20,000 residents in Louisiana are already in the dark with the system hours away from landfall.
Power companies expected to be impacted by the once Category 4 hurricane have help coming from partner utilities around the country to restore power as quickly as possible after the storm passes.
Many people will use generators to maintain a sense of normalcy in the event of an outage. Follow your owner’s manual to ensure the safe operation of your generator.
Carbon monoxide, an odorless gas released from generators, can be fatal if these machines aren’t run properly.
Water levels rising along Louisiana coastline due to Delta’s storm surge
From CNN’s Brandon Miller
Water levels along the Louisiana coastline are rising as the storm surge from the approaching Hurricane Delta increases.
Storm surge is already over six feet at a water level gauge at Freshwater Canal Locks, located in southern Vermilion Parish nearly 50 miles south of Abbeville, Louisiana. This is resulting in ocean water inundation of nearly five feet above ground level, according to NOAA data, which is considered “major flooding” for this location.
Water levels should continue to rise through the afternoon and evening, as landfall is still several hours away and high tide is not until almost midnight local time.
Storm surge is beginning along the coast
The storm surge is beginning along the coast as Hurricane Delta makes its way closer to the shore.
“A NOAA National Ocean Service water level gauge at Freshwater Canal Locks, Louisiana, recently reported storm surge inundation of a little over 4 feet above ground level,” the National Hurricane Center said in their 3 p.m. ET update.
The winds have weakened slightly. But this is still a dangerous storm with 105 mph sustained winds and higher gusts.
Hurricane-force wind gust reported in Texas and Louisiana
An oil platform automatic wind gauge recorded hurricane-force wind gusts of 74 mph today.
Here are some other notable wind gusts:
- 64 mph — Texas Point, Texas
- 60 mph — Lake Charles, Louisiana
- 60 mph — Calcasieu Pass, Louisiana
- 55 mph — Freshwater Canal Locks, Louisiana
Winds will continue to increase in intensity as the storm moves closer.
