With nearly two months left in the Atlantic hurricane season, Hurricane Delta is expected to make landfall on the mainland United States later this week, the 10th storm this season to do so.
Delta’s landfall would mark the most named storms — hurricanes, tropical storms, or otherwise — to hit the U.S. since 1916, when nine storms barraged the country, according to the Weather Channel.
The storm has rapidly strengthened since it formed and is projected to be the third major storm to make landfall as a Category 2 hurricane, according to ABC News.
The storm reached Category 2 status at 5 a.m. Tuesday. By 11:20 a.m., the National Hurricane Center reported that Delta was a Category 4 storm with sustained wind speeds of 130 mph.
1120 AM EDT UPDATE: NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft report that Hurricane #Delta has rapidly strengthened into a dangerous category 4 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph. More info: https://t.co/tW4KeGdBFb pic.twitter.com/3vxNAOAN0l
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) October 6, 2020
This year has been the most active hurricane season since 2005, when 28 tropical cyclones formed and 15 became hurricanes, according to NHC’s data archives. Seven of those hurricanes were considered to be major hurricanes. This year, there have been 24 total storms, eight of which went on to become hurricanes. Two so far have been major storms, with Delta poised to be the third, according to CNN.
The U.S. averages one to two hurricane landfalls a year, according to the Weather Channel. Delta is set to be the fifth hurricane to make landfall this year.
Delta is forecast to hit Cancun by Tuesday night with 140 mph winds, according to ABC News. It is expected to restrengthen in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday before downgrading to a Category 2 storm by the time it is projected to hit Louisiana Friday night.
