1. Life-threatening storm surge is occurring and will continue near and east of where Delta makes landfall this evening, and a Storm Surge Warning is in effect from High Island, Texas, to the Mouth of the Pearl River, Louisiana. The highest inundation of 7 to 11 feet is expected somewhere between Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge and Morgan City, Louisiana.

2. Hurricane-force winds are expected this afternoon and evening within portions of the Hurricane Warning area, especially along the coast of southwest Louisiana. Hurricane-force winds will also spread inland across portions of southern Louisiana near the path of Deltas center this evening and tonight.

3. Heavy rainfall will lead to significant flash flooding and minor to major river flooding in parts of Louisiana today and Saturday. Additional flooding is expected across portions of the central Gulf Coast into the Lower Mississippi Valley.

CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY:

The Storm Surge Warning from High Island, Texas to Sabine Pass has been discontinued.

The Tropical Storm Warning west of San Luis Pass, Texas has been discontinued.

SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT:

A Storm Surge Warning is in effect for...
- East of Sabine Pass to the Mouth of the Pearl River including Calcasieu Lake, Vermilion Bay, and Lake Borgne

A Hurricane Warning is in effect for...
- High Island Texas to Morgan City Louisiana

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for...
- West of High Island to San Luis Pass, Texas
- East of Morgan City Louisiana to the mouth of the Pearl River, including New Orleans
- Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas

For storm information specific to your area, including possible inland watches and warnings, please monitor products issued by your local National Weather Service forecast office.

Key messages for Delta can be found in the Tropical Cyclone Discussion under AWIPS header MIATCDAT1, WMO header WTNT41 KNHC, and on the web at www.hurricanes.gov/text/MIATCDAT1.shtml.

STORM SURGE: The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. The water could reach the following heights above ground somewhere in the indicated areas if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide...

Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge, LA to Morgan City, LA including Vermilion Bay...711 ft Holly Beach, LA to Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge, LA...58 ft Morgan City, LA to Port Fourchon, LA...46 ft Sabine Pass to Holly Beach, LA...24 ft Calcasieu Lake...24 ft Port Fourchon, LA to the Mouth of the Pearl River...24 ft Lake Borgne...24 ft Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas...13 ft Mouth of the Pearl River to the AL/FL border including Mobile Bay...13 ft Sabine Lake...13 ft Port O'Connor, TX to Sabine Pass including Galveston Bay...13 ft

The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to the east of the landfall location, where the surge will be accompanied by large and dangerous waves. Surgerelated flooding depends on the relative timing of the surge and the tidal cycle, and can vary greatly over short distances. For information specific to your area, please see products issued by your local National Weather Service forecast office.

WIND: Hurricane conditions are occurring within the hurricane warning area, and should continue during the next few hours. Tropical storm conditions will continue within portions of the tropical storm warning areas through early Saturday.

RAINFALL: Today through Saturday, Delta is expected to produce 5 to 10 inches of rain, with isolated maximum totals of 15 inches, from southwest into central Louisiana. These rainfall amounts will lead to significant flash, urban, small stream flooding, along with minor to major river flooding.

For extreme east Texas into northern Louisiana, southern Arkansas, and western Mississippi, Delta is expected to produce 3 to 6 inches of rain, with isolated maximum totals of 10 inches. These rainfall amounts will lead to flash, urban, small stream, and isolated minor river flooding.

As the remnants of Delta move farther inland, 1 to 3 inches of rain, with locally higher amounts, are expected in the Tennessee Valley and Mid Atlantic this weekend. There is a potential for 3 to 6 inches in the Southern Appalachians, which could lead to isolated flash, urban, and small stream flooding.

TORNADOES: A few tornadoes are possible through tonight over the southern portions of Louisiana and Mississippi.

SURF: Swells from Delta are affecting portions of the northern and western Gulf coast. These swells are likely to cause life threatening surf and rip current conditions. Please consult products from your local weather office.

At 700 PM CDT (0000 UTC), the center of Hurricane Delta was located near latitude 30.0 North, longitude 93.0 West. Delta is moving toward the northnortheast near 14 mph (22 km/h), and this motion is expected to continue through Saturday morning. A motion toward the northeast is then expected through Sunday night. On the forecast track, the center of Delta should move across central and northeastern Louisiana tonight and Saturday morning. After that time, the system is forecast to move across northern Mississippi into the Tennessee Valley.

Maximum sustained winds are near 90 mph (150 km/h) with higher gusts. Rapid weakening is expected overnight and Saturday. Delta is forecast to weaken to a tropical storm tonight and to a tropical depression on Saturday.

Hurricaneforce winds extend outward up to 40 miles (65 km) from the center and tropicalstormforce winds extend outward up to 160 miles (260 km). The National Weather Service office at Lake Charles reported sustained winds of 64 mph (103 km/h) with gusts to 95 mph (153 km/h) at the airport.

The estimated minimum central pressure is 971 mb (28.67 inches).

Reports from an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft and WSR-88D Doppler radar data indicate that Delta has weakened some more since the last advisory. The eye structure on the radar has become less organized, with about 50 percent of the eyewall remaining in the northern semicircle. The aircraft reported maximum 700-mb flight-level winds have decreased to the 100-105 kt range, along with maximum SFMR surface wind estimates in the 80-85 kt range. In addition, the central pressure has risen to near 966 mb. Based on these data, the initial intensity is lowered to 90 kt.

The initial motion is now north-northeastward or 015/12 kt, with the hurricane moving between a deep-layer ridge over the eastern Gulf of Mexico and a mid- to upper-level trough over the U.S. Southern Plains. This motion should continue through the next 24 h or so, followed by a turn toward the northeast as Delta or its remnants move along the southern edge of the mid-latitude westerlies. While the track guidance remains tightly clustered, the guidance is a little faster than the previous run. So, the new track forecast is similar in direction, but slightly faster than the previous one. The forecast track has the center of Delta making landfall in southwestern Louisiana in the next few hours and then moving across central and northeastern Louisiana tonight and Saturday morning. After that, the system should move across northern Mississippi into the Tennessee Valley before it dissipates.

Increasing vertical shear and decreasing oceanic heat content alongthe forecast track could cause a little more weakening in the lastfew hours before landfall. However, there will still besignificant impacts from winds and storm surge (see Key Messagesbelow). After landfall, rapid weakening is anticipated, with Deltaexpected to weaken to a tropical storm tonight and to a tropicaldepression by Saturday afternoon. As in the last advisory, thecyclone is forecast to dissipate between 60-72 h based on theconsensus of the global models.