Energy Prospectus

Tropical Storm Delta Forms in Caribbean; Could Pose a Hurricane Threat to U.S. Gulf Coast
By weather.com meteorologists3 hours agoweather.com

Expected to be a Cat 2 hurricane by Friday. Heading to Louisiana now. Threat to Houston area is LOW.

At a Glance
Tropical Storm Delta is tracking through the Caribbean.
Jamaica, the Cayman Islands and western Cuba will be the first areas impacted by this system.
Delta could be a hurricane threat to the U.S. Gulf Coast late in the week.
Interests from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle should monitor the progress of this system closely.
Tropical Storm Delta has formed in the Caribbean Sea and it could pose a potential hurricane threat to the U.S. Gulf Coast by later this week. Delta will also impact multiple land areas in the northwest Caribbean for the next couple of days.

Forecast Timing, Intensity
Tropical Storm Delta is centered near Jamaica right now and is moving to the west-northwest near 10 mph.

Delta will continue to push west-northwestward over the next several days, and conditions are expected to become more conducive for intensification. The National Hurricane Center is forecasting Delta to become a hurricane as soon as later Tuesday when it moves near western Cuba.

Delta could interact with Tropical Storm Gamma for a period of time later Tuesday through Wednesday as it tracks into the Gulf of Mexico. That interaction might have some effect on the future track and intensity of Delta, however, details are uncertain.

Forecast guidance shows that Delta will eventually turn more northward toward the U.S. Gulf Coast late in the week. Where that northward turn occurs will determine what areas see the greatest potential impacts, most likely somewhere from Louisiana into the Florida Panhandle.

Delta is expected to be a Category 1 or 2 hurricane when it nears the U.S. Gulf Coast sometime later Thursday through Friday. However, the intensify forecast is still uncertain since this system could face increasingly unfavorable upper-level winds and cooler waters as it draws closer to the U.S.

Tropical Storm Delta forecast to become hurricane, hit Louisiana . Bloomberg .
Tropical Storm Delta is forecast to become a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico later this week, clipping western Cuba and becoming the record 10th storm to hit the U.S. when it makes landfall between Louisiana and Florida by Friday. Its winds could reach 105 miles (169 kilometers) per hour as it crosses the Gulf, making it a Category 2 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said Monday. On its current path, the storm will likely cause oil and natural gas production offshore of Louisiana to shut down, and it poses a threat to onshore refineries and shipping, said Jim Rouiller, lead meteorologist with the Energy Weather Group.