Hurricane Delta was the twenty-fifth named storm of the record-breaking 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season. Its rapid changes in intensity and trajectory made it difficult to forecast and track. The storm’s brief but impactful lifespan, spanning just over a week, included two landfalls in two different countries. This chronology details the storm’s swift development, path across the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, and its historical designation.
The Storm’s Rapid Development
Tropical Depression Twenty-six organized on the afternoon of October 4, 2020, south of Kingston, Jamaica. It quickly strengthened, achieving Tropical Storm Delta status early on October 5 as it moved west-northwestward through the Caribbean Sea. This marked the beginning of rapid intensification, fueled by extremely warm waters and low wind shear.
Within approximately 36 hours, Delta’s maximum sustained wind speeds increased by 90 knots, a rate among the fastest recorded for an Atlantic tropical cyclone. On the morning of October 6, Delta was upgraded to a hurricane. By 1800 UTC that same day, it reached its initial peak intensity as a high-end Category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds of 140 miles per hour over the northwestern Caribbean Sea.
Path Across the Gulf and Landfalls
After reaching Category 4 strength, Delta began to weaken due to increased wind shear and its close proximity to the Yucatán Peninsula. The storm made its first landfall at 1030 UTC on October 7, striking near Puerto Morelos, Mexico, as a Category 2 hurricane. It crossed the northern Yucatán Peninsula, weakening before emerging into the southern Gulf of Mexico as a Category 1 hurricane.
Over the Gulf’s warm waters, Delta began to re-intensify, tracking northwestward toward the United States coastline. It regained major hurricane status on the afternoon of October 8, achieving a secondary peak intensity that evening with maximum sustained winds of 120 miles per hour. As the storm tracked northward toward Louisiana, it encountered increasing wind shear and cooler water temperatures, which caused a gradual weakening trend.
Hurricane Delta made its final landfall near Creole, Louisiana, at 6:00 PM CDT (2300 UTC) on October 9. At U.S. landfall, it was classified as a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 100 miles per hour. This location was only about 10 miles east of where Hurricane Laura had struck the coast six weeks prior. Delta became the tenth named storm of the 2020 season to strike the continental United States, setting a new record for landfalling storms in a single season.
Dissipation and Historical Status
Following landfall in Louisiana, Delta began to weaken as it moved inland over the central and southeastern United States. It fell below hurricane intensity to a tropical storm by 1:00 AM CDT on October 10. The system continued to accelerate northeastward, transitioning into a post-tropical cyclone over western Mississippi by 1800 UTC on October 10.
The remnants of Delta eventually dissipated into a trough of low pressure over the southeastern United States by 0000 UTC on October 12. Delta was the first storm named with a Greek letter to make landfall in the continental United States, highlighting the extreme activity of the 2020 season, which had exhausted the traditional list of names. Although the name “Delta” was not retired for its individual impact, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) decided in March 2021 to discontinue the use of the Greek alphabet for storm naming entirely.