Hurricane Delta (2020)

Name: Hurricane Delta (2020): track and modeled winds
Creator: NOAA/NWS National Hurricane Center

Hurricane Delta was a Category 4 hurricane at its peak, with 138 mph winds and a lowest pressure of 953 mb, per NOAA's National Hurricane Center. Modeled winds reached tropical-storm force (39 mph) at 3 of the cities we track; the strongest was Lake Charles, LA, with a modeled peak gust of 77 mph.

Peak strength138 mph winds (1-minute): Category 4
Cities with tropical-storm-force windsModeled, of the cities we track: 3
LandfallsFirst October 7, 2020: 2
Lowest pressure: 953 mb

Track, wind field and cities

Select a piece of the track or a city for details.

Depression or weaker
Tropical storm
Hurricane, Category 1 or 2
Major hurricane, Category 3 to 5
Landfall
City (larger ring, stronger modeled gust)
Modeled wind field, 39 to 111 mph sustained (darker, stronger; orange 111 mph+)

Source: NOAA/NWS National Hurricane Center best track (HURDAT2). City winds and the wind field are modeled.

The shaded areas are where our model puts Hurricane Delta’s sustained winds over open land at 39 mph or more (tropical-storm force), 58, 74 (hurricane force) and 111 mph (major hurricane force) at some point along its track. Modeled, not measured. How we model hurricane winds

Landfalls

October 7, 2020, Category 2 at 104 mph, in Mexico
October 9, 2020, Category 2 at 98 mph, about 28 miles from Lake Charles, LA

Modeled winds at cities (3)

Estimated peak winds for open, flat ground at each city’s center. Not measurements. How we model hurricane winds

City	Peak gust	Sustained	Closest pass	Peak
Lake Charles, LA	77 mph	62 mph	20 miles	Oct 9, 2020, 6:45 PM CDT
Lafayette, LA	56 mph	46 mph	44 miles	Oct 9, 2020, 9:15 PM CDT
Beaumont, TX	52 mph	42 mph	66 miles	Oct 9, 2020, 5:15 PM CDT

What happened

Delta, which had crossed Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula on October 7, made landfall near Creole, Louisiana, at 6 p.m. CDT (2300 UTC) on October 9, 2020, as a Category 2 hurricane with winds of about 85 knots (98 mph).¹

Storm surge reached 6 to 9 feet above ground east of landfall along the coasts of Vermilion, Iberia and St. Mary Parishes, and a survey team found a high-water mark 7.8 feet above ground near the Freshwater Canal Locks.¹ In Cameron Parish, 3 to 6 feet of water flooded areas already hit by Laura's surge, with high-water marks of 4.9 feet in Cameron and 4.5 feet in Creole and Grand Chenier.¹ Measured gusts reached 87 knots (100 mph) near Texas Point, Texas, 83 knots (96 mph) at Lake Charles airport and 78 knots (90 mph) at Beaumont-Port Arthur airport.¹ Rain totaled 15 to 20 inches between Lake Charles and Alexandria, including 17.57 inches at LeBleu Settlement, and Baton Rouge received nearly 10 inches, with several reports of flooded homes.¹

In southwestern Louisiana, still recovering from Laura, Delta damaged more homes and businesses and blew away temporary roofs.¹ Flash flooding in Calcasieu Parish severely damaged several homes.¹ Delta and its remnants produced 13 tornadoes in Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina, and EF1 tornadoes damaged homes near Newton, Georgia, and Dillon, South Carolina.¹ NHC counts two direct deaths, from rip currents near Destin, Florida, and two indirect deaths in Louisiana, and NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information estimates about $2.9 billion in US damage.¹

Sources

1. NOAA National Hurricane Center: Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Delta (AL262020)

Best track (31 positions)

Time	Status	Wind	Pressure	Position
Oct 4, 18:00 UTC	Tropical depression	35 mph	1006 mb	16.4°N, 76.2°W
Oct 5, 00:00 UTC	Tropical depression	35 mph	1006 mb	16.4°N, 77.0°W
Oct 5, 06:00 UTC	Tropical depression	35 mph	1006 mb	16.4°N, 77.7°W
Oct 5, 12:00 UTC	Tropical storm	46 mph	1004 mb	16.4°N, 78.4°W
Oct 5, 18:00 UTC	Tropical storm	63 mph	985 mb	16.4°N, 79.1°W
Oct 6, 00:00 UTC	Category 1 hurricane	75 mph	980 mb	16.6°N, 79.8°W
Oct 6, 06:00 UTC	Category 1 hurricane	86 mph	973 mb	17.1°N, 80.7°W
Oct 6, 12:00 UTC	Category 3 hurricane	115 mph	959 mb	17.8°N, 82.0°W
Oct 6, 18:00 UTC	Category 4 hurricane	138 mph	953 mb	18.5°N, 83.3°W
Oct 7, 00:00 UTC	Category 3 hurricane	115 mph	962 mb	19.3°N, 84.6°W
Oct 7, 06:00 UTC	Category 2 hurricane	104 mph	968 mb	20.1°N, 85.9°W
Oct 7, 10:30 UTC (landfall)	Category 2 hurricane	104 mph	971 mb	20.8°N, 86.9°W
Oct 7, 12:00 UTC	Category 2 hurricane	98 mph	973 mb	21.1°N, 87.4°W
Oct 7, 18:00 UTC	Category 1 hurricane	86 mph	978 mb	21.7°N, 88.8°W
Oct 8, 00:00 UTC	Category 1 hurricane	92 mph	973 mb	22.3°N, 90.2°W
Oct 8, 06:00 UTC	Category 2 hurricane	98 mph	973 mb	23.0°N, 91.4°W
Oct 8, 12:00 UTC	Category 2 hurricane	104 mph	969 mb	23.7°N, 92.4°W
Oct 8, 18:00 UTC	Category 3 hurricane	115 mph	960 mb	24.5°N, 93.1°W
Oct 9, 00:00 UTC	Category 3 hurricane	121 mph	953 mb	25.3°N, 93.5°W
Oct 9, 06:00 UTC	Category 3 hurricane	121 mph	953 mb	26.3°N, 93.7°W
Oct 9, 12:00 UTC	Category 3 hurricane	115 mph	958 mb	27.5°N, 93.8°W
Oct 9, 18:00 UTC	Category 2 hurricane	104 mph	966 mb	28.7°N, 93.6°W
Oct 9, 23:00 UTC (landfall)	Category 2 hurricane	98 mph	970 mb	29.8°N, 93.1°W
Oct 10, 00:00 UTC	Category 1 hurricane	86 mph	971 mb	30.1°N, 92.9°W
Oct 10, 06:00 UTC	Tropical storm	58 mph	985 mb	31.4°N, 92.2°W
Oct 10, 12:00 UTC	Tropical storm	40 mph	993 mb	32.5°N, 91.4°W
Oct 10, 18:00 UTC	Post-tropical	29 mph	998 mb	33.3°N, 90.6°W
Oct 11, 00:00 UTC	Post-tropical	29 mph	1002 mb	33.9°N, 89.6°W
Oct 11, 06:00 UTC	Post-tropical	29 mph	1004 mb	34.4°N, 88.6°W
Oct 11, 12:00 UTC	Post-tropical	23 mph	1005 mb	34.8°N, 87.5°W
Oct 11, 18:00 UTC	Post-tropical	23 mph	1007 mb	35.1°N, 86.3°W

Show all 31