Delta forecast to become hurricane

Bloomberg

Tropical Storm Delta is forecast to become a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico later this week, clipping western Cuba and becoming the record 10th storm to hit the US when it makes landfall between Louisiana and Florida by Friday.
Its winds could reach 169 kilometres per hour as it crosses the Gulf, making it a Category 2 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, the US National Hurricane Center said. It could even become a Category 3 major hurricane, said Adam Douty, a meteorologist with AccuWeather.
Delta is this year’s 25th named system, only the second time that mark has been reached in records going back to 1851. It’s also the earliest point at which that many storms have been recorded. If it does strike the Gulf Coast, it would be a record 10th storm to hit the US this year, Douty said. An all-time high of 28 storms formed in 2005, including deadly Hurricane Katrina.
The storm will likely cause oil and natural gas production offshore of Louisiana to shut down, and it poses a threat to onshore refineries and shipping, said Jim Rouiller, lead
meteorologist with the Energy Weather Group.