Killer storm threatening Nola, coast

Tropical Storm Nate was upgraded to hurricane status Friday night, as it barreled toward the northern Gulf of Mexico, where it’s expected to make landfall early Sunday.

Nate, which killed 21 people in Central America, was expected to pass 50 miles east of New Orleans, 12 years after the city was devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

The National Hurricane Center warned that “life-threatening storm-surge flooding” was likely along the northern Gulf coast.

Nearly three-quarters of the Gulf ’s oil production was offline by Friday night in anticipation of the storm’s damage.

States of emergency were declared in the coastal areas of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama as Nate became the latest in a succession of monster storms this hurricane season.

Many Gulf communities were under evacuation order.

Nate will be the third hurricane, after Harvey and Irma, to hit the US mainland since late August.

The northern Gulf coast has until now been spared the worst storm surges, winds and rains of the 2017 hurricane season.

The storm pummeled Central America earlier this week. By early Saturday, it was predicted to strengthen as it passes near or over the northeastern tip of the Yucatán Peninsula.

“Conditions appear favorable for continued strengthening up to landfall on the northern Gulf Coast,” the NHC said Friday night.