Zeta is set to make landfall sometime Wednesday and Louisiana is in its sights for the fifth time in the last couple months. As the Atlantic’s record-tying 27th named storm of the year, Tropical Storm Zeta is forecast to become Hurricane Zeta sometime in the next 36 hours. Just one more storm named in 2020 and there will be a new record in the Atlantic region for named storms in a season. Way past the list of alphabet names for the season, storm names have moved on to the Greek alphabet for only the second time in history.
Including Late October’s Zeta, all 28 of 2020’s named Atlantic Storms [Credit: wikipedia]
Zeta Facts
- Location: 65 Miles SSW of New Orleans, LA
- Max sustained wind: 110mph
- Movement: NNE at 24 mph
- Storm Behavior: Making Landfall in Lousiana
Tropical Storm Zeta Becomes Hurricane Zeta
Tropical Storm Zeta is expected to strengthen to a Category 1 Hurricane again later today. It will be at or near hurricane strength when it makes landfall in the northern Gulf Coast late tomorrow. The storm is forecast to create a dangerous storm surge, combining with a high tide. Areas near the coast could be flooded, especially if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide. The highest surge is forecast from Port Fourchon, LA to the mouth of the Pearl River, where it could reach up to 8 feet. Category 1 hurricane winds will affect the coasts, but damaging gusts could also reach inland across southeast Mississippi and southern Alabama tomorrow night. In addition, rainfall totals up to 6 inches are possible from the central Gulf Coast into the Ohio Valley, potentially leading to flooding.
The Record 29th Storm and Beyond
Should another storm form and become named it will be the most named storms in one season in recorded history. The next three are “Eta”, “Theta”, and “Iota”. Below are the rest of the names for this season.
List of greek names for the rest of the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season [NOAA]
