Southeast Texas now under a Hurricane Watch

The National Hurricane Center has issued a Hurricane Watch for the northern Gulf coast from High Island eastward to Grand Isle, Louisiana.

Delta is moving northwestward or 305/15 kt. The hurricane should continue moving northwestward around the southwestern portion of a subtropical ridge that extends over Florida and the northeastern Gulf of Mexico through early Thursday.

After that time, a developing mid-level trough over the south-central United States should cause Delta to slow down and turn north-northwestward on Thursday. Delta is forecast to begin accelerating northward or north-northeastward toward the northern Gulf coast ahead of the trough Thursday night and Friday.

There has been little change to the early portion of the track forecast, but there has been a little westward shift in the guidance envelope after 24 hours, and the NHC forecast has been moved in that direction. The new forecast track lies near or just left of the TVCA multi-model consensus and a little right of the HFIP corrected consensus aid, again close to the GFS, GFS ensemble mean and UKMet models.