Hurricane Delta is headed toward Gulf but not Texas

Hurricane Delta developed Monday evening and is headed toward the Gulf of Mexico, but southwestern winds some 15,000 feet above the Houston/Galveston area should keep the storm east of the Lone Star State.

Texas seems to have survived the riskiest part of hurricane season. Cold fronts and upper-level winds, both unfavorable for tropical storms, tend to keep late-developing storms east of Texas.

“It’s not impossible, but with each passing day as you head through October overall chances should be diminishing,” said Brian Kyle, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Houston/Galveston office. “But it is 2020, who knows?”

This has been an especially active Atlantic hurricane season. Hurricane Delta is the 25th named storm for the six-month period that starts June 1 and ends Nov. 30. Peak hurricane season for Texas is June through September.

Each hurricane season has 21 pre-selected names. In years like 2020 and 2005 when more than 21 names are required, officials turn the Greek alphabet. Right now, forecasters are keeping an eye on both Hurricane Delta and Tropical Depression Gamma.

Neither of these storms are expected to make landfall in Texas, though there could still be elevated tides and seas.

As of 7 p.m. Monday, the National Hurricane Center forecast that Delta would strengthen into a major hurricane (Category 3 or above) as it nears Mexico on the Yucatán Peninsula on Tuesday afternoon or evening. Delta is forecast to move into the southern Gulf of Mexico Tuesday night or early Wednesday, and it could be over the south-central Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday. There remains a lot of uncertainty in its intensity and track, with landfall possible later this week between Louisiana and the western Florida Panhandle.

The center of Tropical Depression Gamma was off the coast of Mexico and the Yucatán Peninsula on Monday afternoon. It was forecast to move inland Tuesday and then dissipate over Mexico on Wednesday.