Afternoon Update – Tropical Storm Zeta!

October 27, 2020September 9, 2023

My prayers are with all the families, friends and businesses in all areas!

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The probability of a strong storm moving in on the Gulf is substantial now that Tropical Storm Zeta, had developed in the Caribbean Sea moved over the Yucatan Peninsula from Punta Allen up to Progreso laterally to Cozumel in Mexico, and weakened due to being over land, and has the probability to restrengthen when it gets into the Gulf. Hurricanes move at a far higher rate of speed as even a few weeks ago, as the hurricane season moves into the ultra fast-moving sector of the mid-fall season. Epsilon moved at the end east to northeast at a rate of near or over 40 miles per hour. Hurricanes will continue to move faster and faster as the weeks go on due to the faster moving fall season’s jet stream upper altitude winds and the tilt of the axis versus sun angle.

More technical information as provided by cdema.org – Tropical Weather Systems.

Current tropical activity report directly from the NOAA NWS National Hurricane Center:

↓ At 12 3:19 pm ↓

Atlantic Tropical Report: I will keep an eye on everything else, but we are moving into the dangerous area of Hurricane Zeta.

🌀🌀🌀🌀🌀🌀🌀🌀Zeta: Check out for your local listings here: Nationwide Station Listing Using Broadcast Frequencies. Here it comes!! Start preparing for landfall right away!! Finish up your board up detail right away to allow enough time for escape. Have an escape plan in place. All residents along the Gulf Coast from Yankeetown – Okaloosa/Walton County Line, FL all the way to Intercoastal City, LA including Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana should have a hurricane plan in action or visit https://www.weather.gov/wrn/hurricane-preparedness. Please adhere to safety measures and stay out of the way of danger! This storm is capable of major damage, and the category number hurricane is too early to identify right now. So, please take care of your families and get to high ground, away from coastal areas. Prepare early, as traffic can be a downfall of your escape plans. Every minute counts, so start a sleeping schedule so your family can share in a drive to escape plan. Fast moving storms like this tend to have way worse storm surge because the system is moving very fast and the swells have no other alternative but to make landfall very hard! Do NOT think that you can sit out the storm! This is going to have torrential rains, tornadoes, wind, damage, flying debris, and unfortunately a large amount of deaths. Also, make sure that your pets and livestock are not subject to this storm. Make arrangements accordingly. Current posting from the NOAA NWS National Hurricane Center:

…ZETA EXPECTED TO BRING HURRICANE CONDITIONS AND STORM SURGE TO A PORTION OF THE NORTHERN GULF COAST TOMORROW…

– A Hurricane Warning continues from Morgan City LA to the MS/AL state line, including Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas, and Metropolitan New Orlean. Hurricane conditions are expected within the Hurricane Warning area on the northern Gulf Coast late Wednesday, with tropical storm conditions beginning Wednesday afternoon. Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion.

– A Storm Surge Warning continues from the mouth of the Atchafalaya River to Navarre FF, including Lake Borgne, Lake Pontchartrain, Pensacola Bay and Mobile Bay. 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…
– Mouth of the Pearl River to Dauphin Island AL…5-8 ft
– Port Fourchon LA to the Mouth of the Pearl River including Lake Borgne…4-6 ft
– Dauphin Island AL to AL/FL border incl.- Mobile Bay…3-5 ft
– Mouth of the Atchafalaya River to Port Fourchon LA…2-4 ft
– AL/FL state line to Navarre FL incl. Pensacola Bay…2-4 ft
– Lake Pontchartrain...2-4 ft
– Navarre FL to Yankeetown FL including Choctawhatchee Bay and Saint Andrew Bay…1-3 ft

– A Tropical Storm Warning continues in the U.S. from the MS/AL state line to the Okaloosa/Walton County Line FL. Tropical storm conditions are expected within the Tropical Storm Warning area on the northern Gulf coast by late Wednesday. Damaging winds, especially in gusts, will spread well inland across portions of southeast Mississippi and southern Alabama Wednesday night.

– A Tropical Storm Watch continues from west of Morgan City to Intracoastal City LA. Tropical storm conditions are possible within the Tropical Storm Watch area late Wednesday.

At 4 p.m. CDT, the center of Tropical Storm Zeta was located over the southern Gulf of Mexico about 450 miles (720 km) south of the mouth of the Mississippi River. Zeta is moving toward the northwest near 14 mph (22 km/h). A turn toward the north is expected tonight, and a faster northward to north-
northeastward motion is expected on Wednesday. On the forecast track, the center of Zeta will move over the central Gulf of Mexico tonight, approach the northern Gulf Coast on Wednesday, make landfall within the hurricane warning area late Wednesday or Wednesday night, and move across the southeastern and eastern United States on Thursday.

Maximum sustained winds are near 65 mph (100 km/h) with higher gusts. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 140 miles (220 km) from the center. Zeta is forecast to become a hurricane again tonight and is forecast to be at or near hurricane strength when it reaches the northern Gulf Coast late Wednesday.

An initial area of heavy rains will begin to impact the central Gulf Coast tonight, with the core of heavy rains spreading north into the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic through Thursday, near and in advance of Zeta. Rainfall totals of 2 to 4 inches with isolated amounts of 6 inches are expected across these areas, resulting in flash, urban, small stream, and minor river flooding.

A few tornadoes are expected Wednesday and Wednesday night over southeastern Mississippi, southern Alabama, and the western Panhandle of Florida.

The next complete advisory will be issued by NHC at 10 p.m. CDT with in intermediate advisory at 7 p.m. CDT – www.hurricanes.gov

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Other Tropical Systems: Epsilon has become sub-tropical at this point, moving towards northern Europe near the Gulf Stream channel way southeast of Iceland. Visit https://www.weather.gov/wrn/hurricane-preparedness.

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La Niña is officially declared as the cause of such the active record-matching hurricane season this year, with names at letter “F” in the Greek alphabet. The Atlantic season has tied the year of 2005 at this point in its very active season, considering it started off so quietly and with dust plumes in June and July. Check out the Wikipedia caption: Atlantic hurricane season

Sharing safety measures from my previous 2018 blog post: Tips For Playing it Safe During a Hurricane: Here Comes Florence!
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