{"id":30922,"date":"2020-10-07T16:01:06","date_gmt":"2020-10-07T20:01:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/?p=30922"},"modified":"2020-10-07T16:05:17","modified_gmt":"2020-10-07T20:05:17","slug":"weather-warfare-in-the-gulf-is-hurricane-delta-yet-another-geoengineered-weather-weapon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/?p=30922","title":{"rendered":"WEATHER WARFARE IN THE GULF: Is Hurricane Delta yet another geoengineered weather weapon aimed at the conservative Deep South??"},"content":{"rendered":"

Formidable Hurricane Delta will be very dangerous storm as it charges Gulf Coast<\/h1>\n

By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist<\/p>\n

AccuWeather meteorologists have put\u00a0the Gulf Coast of the United States on high alert for what could be a disastrous strike later this week by a very dangerous hurricane. Overnight and through early Tuesday morning, Hurricane Delta escalated quickly into a Category 4\u00a0storm and forecasters warn it could strengthen even more before it strikes the Yucatan Peninsula. After that, forecasters expect Delta to emerge over the extremely warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, where it could maintain its strength for a time.<\/p>\n

The hurricane\u2019s winds had increased to 130\u00a0mph by 11:20 a.m. EDT Tuesday just over 24 hours after it became the 25th tropical storm of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season. Delta became the first major hurricane to churn over the Atlantic basin during the month of October\u00a0since Hurricane Michael in 2018<\/a>.\u00a0Delta’s intensification was the most extreme in 15 years for an October hurricane.<\/a>\u00a0The storm’s maximum sustained winds increased by a whopping 70 mph \u2014 from 40 mph to 110 mph \u2014 in its first 24 hours as a named storm. Only Hurricane\u00a0Wilma in 2005 exploded in\u00a0a more significant fashion over that same 24-hour period<\/a>. Delta has also set a speed record for strengthening from a depression to a Category 4 hurricane. Delta accomplished this in just over 36 hours, and surpassed Keith from 2000, which did so in 42 hours.<\/p>\n

Delta lost wind intensity overnight as it tracked closer to land. It eventually made landfall in Mexico around 5:30 a.m. Wednesday near the town of Puerto Morelos. At the time of landfall, Delta was a strong Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph, just 1 mph below major hurricane strength.<\/p>\n

Satellite images showed that Delta was an incredibly compact hurricane on Tuesday. Hurricane-force winds extended outward only up to 30 miles from the storm\u2019s center, but a small eye about 5 miles across\u00a0had developed, a sign that forecasters said indicated\u00a0rapid strengthening.<\/p>\n

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This image, captured late in the afternoon on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020, shows Hurricane Delta over the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. (AccuWeather)<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n

U.S. officials were already\u00a0urging Gulf Coast residents to be prepared ahead of the intense hurricane. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said early Tuesday that Louisianans should have a game plan now as Delta is the fourth storm of the season to threaten Louisiana. Later in the day, Gov. Edwards\u00a0declared a state of emergency in Louisiana<\/a>. Delta is expected to make landfall as a major hurricane of at least Category 3 strength over\u00a0south-central or southeastern part of the state late Friday or early Saturday, becoming\u00a0the first-ever hurricane named after a Greek letter to strike the U.S., and\u00a0the 10th storm of the season to make landfall in the continental U.S.\u00a0\u2014 a new record.<\/p>\n

“Now is the time for Louisianans to prepare [for] Hurricane\u00a0#Delta<\/a>. This storm will affect Louisiana and everyone needs to prepare accordingly,\u201d\u00a0Edwards tweeted Tuesday morning<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey\u00a0declared a state of emergency<\/a>\u00a0midday Tuesday ahead of the hurricane, noting that coastal areas of the state are still recovering from Sally’s blow in mid-September. Hurricane Delta “could potentially have a significant impact” on Alabama, she tweeted.<\/p>\n

It’s\u00a0possible that Delta could peak\u00a0as a Category 5 hurricane with sustained winds exceeding 155 mph. If the storm were to reach that strength, it would be the first hurricane this season to reach Category 5 force. Hurricanes Laura and Teddy peaked at Category 4 intensity.<\/p>\n

Delta is forecast to take a fairly steady west-northwest path into Thursday, which will take the storm over part of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on Wednesday with dangerous, damaging and perhaps deadly consequences.<\/p>\n

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From Thursday to Friday, the hurricane is projected to begin a curved path to the north over the west-central Gulf. As the storm approaches the Louisiana coast late Friday it may begin to turn more to the northeast.<\/p>\n