'Zeta is right at our doorstep': Storm strengthens to Category 2 hurricane as Louisiana braces for impact

Fast-moving storm is third hurricane to strike state’s coast within two months

Hurricane Zeta has gained strength as it speeds towards Louisiana’s coastline, bracing for impact from the third hurricane to hit the state within two months.

The storm is expected to make landfall on Wednesday afternoon near the southeastern coast, striking the New Orleans metropolitan area, which has been in the “cone” of impact for seven storms over an unusually active Atlantic storm season that has devastated southwestern parts of the state.

Zeta strengthened to a Category 2 storm on Wednesday, with maximum sustained winds of up to 100 mph, expected to strike the New Orleans area on Wednesday evening.

“Zeta is right at our doorstep,” Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said at a briefing on Wednesday. “It’s going to be a rough evening for Louisiana, particularly in the southeastern portion. I am confident we are well prepared for this storm.”

The governor warned that wind damage and power outages “could be extensive” as the fast-moving storm increases the risk of tornadoes in the region.

The state has deployed 1,500 National Guard service members, and hundreds of emergency responders are prepared to restore power in the early morning hours on Thursday.

Zeta is the 27th named storm from a historically busy season, which expires at the end of November.

The storm struck Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on Monday as a hurricane before it was downgraded as a tropical storm and re-entered the Gulf of Mexico, where it regained strength as a Category 1.

National Weather Service forecasts have predicted sustained winds of 74 mph to 110 mph, with higher gusts, along the Gulf Coast from the New Orleans metro area through coastal Mississippi.

Only two to four inches of rain are expected, though “life-threatening inundation” from storm surges could bring several feet of water along low-lying coastal areas.

“The one blessing we have with Zeta is it’s moving remarkably fast for a hurricane,” the National Weather Service said in its afternoon update.

Zeta is the fifth named storm to strike the state this year, following devastation from two hurricanes – Laura and Delta – in the state’s southwestern region near its Texas border.

Roughly 3,600 residents are still being sheltered from those hurricanes in parts of the state.