As Hurricane Delta prepares to make landfall later today, Colonel Greg Michel, the Executive Director of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, provided the latest update on the storm as it relates to the Magnolia State.
Michel stated that the storm has slowed down a bit in the Gulf of Mexico, pushing back its expected landfall to later this evening. While the storm is currently a Category 3 system, Michel explained that officials expect it to decrease in strength “fairly rapidly” to a Category 1 as it enters shallow, cooler waters near the coast. Despite that, the storm will bring threatening conditions to Mississippi.
“Mississippi finds itself on the right side of the storm, which means we’re really on the wrong side the storm,” he explained. “That means we’re going to get those rains bands and those potential wind bands as this system makes landfall.”
#HurricaneDelta is still on track to make landfall this evening as a Cat 2 storm along the LA Coast and not much has changed in regards to our impacts. Later today through tomorrow, we’ll have the threat for damaging wind, heavy rain and spin-up tornadoes. Stay weather aware! pic.twitter.com/McFFXhSRFU
— msema (@MSEMA) October 9, 2020
Michel warned that portions of SW Mississippi will face the initial brunt of the storm and that because this will be a “nightfall system,” you need to remain on alert by keeping your phone close by, charged and with the sound on to ensure that you don’t miss any alerts.
As for the rest of the state, Michel noted that the potential for severe weather — high wind, tornados, flash flooding — will last throughout the weekend.
Watch Colonel Michel’s full remarks below:
