Hurricane Nate is nearing landfall as it quickly moves toward the Gulf Coast of Louisiana near the Mississippi River.
The National Hurricane Center says the storm, currently a Category 1 with 90 mph winds, will move through Louisiana then head northeast across Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee.
As Nate moved across warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico, it strengthened. Forecasters say the storm will continue to strengthen and could become a Category 2 storm, with at least 96 mph winds, before making landfall.
After the storm hits land, meteorologists say it will weaken significantly and turn into a tropical storm.
Forecasters are warning of severe storm surge from the hurricane of up to 11 feet is expected near the mouth of Mississippi River to the Mississippi and Alabama border.
Most areas will see between 2 to 7 inches of rain.
The storm was moving northwest at 23 mph as of 4 p.m.
A hurricane warning is in effect from Louisiana to the Alabama-Florida border and some evacuations and curfews have been ordered in advance of the storm's arrival.
A state of emergency was placed in Louisiana and Mississippi, both of which are in the direct path of the storm.
Nate has already left 22 people dead in Central America and 400,000 without water. Officials in coastal cities aren't taking any chances.
"Nate is on our doorstep," New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said. "...I think everybody can see we are in the cone of what I call discomfort."
Landrieu ordered some evacuations and a curfew, which will start Saturday.
The 2017 hurricane season has been abnormally active and has had a string of very strong storms that have left a path of destruction in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and many islands in the Caribbean.
The devastation has led to deaths and billions in damage, which many areas still have not been able to recover from yet. Hurricane Nate could add to that and cause $1 billion in damage.
The season ends on Nov. 30.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Christal Hayes started at Newsweek in 2017, leaving the Sunshine State for New York City. She was the first reporter ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
