Hurricane Zeta made landfall in southeast Louisiana on Wednesday afternoon and and battered the storm-weary state with high winds, deadly storm surge and torrential rain.
The National Hurricane Center reported that the hurricane’s eye moved onshore near Cocodrie, La., around 4 p.m. CDT with 110 mph winds, making it a top-end Category 2 hurricane.
Zeta is forecast to track across Mississippi and then into Alabama overnight.
A hurricane warning is in effect from the mouth of the Pearl River to the Mississippi/Alabama border.
A tropical storm warning is in effect from the Mississippi/Alabama border to the Walton/Bay county line in Florida.
Zeta could bring 4-7 feet of surge to the Gulf Coast from the mouth of the Pearl River to Dauphin Island in Alabama.
Lesser amounts will be possible elsewhere. Mobile Bay could see 4-6 feet of surge. The Alabama coast east of Dauphin Island could get 3-5 feet, the hurricane center said.
Zeta will be moving quickly but could bring a significant amount of rain. Through Thursday, heavy rainfall is expected from portions of the central U.S. Gulf Coast to the Tennessee and Ohio Valleys, Southern to Central Appalachians, and Mid-Atlantic states in advance of Zeta, leading to flash, urban, small stream and minor river flooding.