Hurricane Delta's max wind strength was 130 miles per hour Tuesday night, said the National Hurricane Center, a level which forecasters expect the system will maintain on its approach to the Yucatan.
That means Delta should move over the Yucatan as possibly a category 4 storm, weaken slightly, then re-emerge over the southern Gulf of Mexico by Wednesday afternoon.
Movement over warm waters in the central Gulf could see Delta strengten again before Delta encounters cooler water temperatures near the coast along with wind shear before landfall, which may lead to some slight weakening. Still, the threat of a major hurricane making landfall along the Louisiana coast by late Friday remains.
Residents in south Louisiana are being urged to prepare now for Delta's arrival. "There is an increasing likelihood of life-threatening storm surge and dangerous hurricane-force winds, especially along the coasts of Louisiana and Mississippi, beginning on Friday," said the NHC.