Hurricane Zeta is a record-breaking storm, being the fifth storm named this year that hit Louisiana. It strengthened last Tuesday overnight, now about to hit the city of New Orleans classified at Category storm 2 level.
Record holder
It is the fifth storm named that struck the state this year, which breaks Louisiana's record while also tying with 2005 as the most named storms within one year. The year 2005 was the year that Hurricane Katrina struck.
The forecast for Zeta now is that it will strike New Orleans on the afternoon of Wednesday well into the evening. Afterward, it will go towards Alabama, Georgia, North and South Carolina, and Virginia by Thursday morning.
READ: Hurricane Zeta Still a Tropical Storm, Rapidly Moving Through the Gulf of Mexico
Storm surges
The NHC or National Hurricane Center predicts that the hurricane will cause dangerous storm surges on the north Gulf Coast. These surges' peak is expected to reach 6 to 9 feet in height in some portions of Mississippi while reaching 5 to 7 feet at Louisiana's tip.
Massive storm surges reaching 3 feet are also expected. They are strong enough to carry away cars while preventing the evacuation of people. They may occur along the length of the coasts of Louisiana and Alabama.
Even only a few inches height of the water can already bring a person down. The water height can look like this picture in a tweet, as posted by NHC and The Weather Channel.
The NHC declared that Laura had storm surges that are "unsurvivable" in Texas and Louisiana. The agency advises not to underestimate Hurricane Zeta.
State of emergency
The Alabama governor declared Alabama as an emergency area, with the Louisiana governor requesting the President for a disaster declaration before landfall last Tuesday. New Orleans' mayor also informed residents to be ready for a direct hurricane hit.
Among the worst hurricane seasons
The year 2020 has one of the worst hurricane seasons ever recorded. Scientists are not surprised at all by this. They have been telling us for so long about the effects of climate change, including worsening hurricanes and storms.
Aside from being stronger, hurricanes also apparently stall more or move more slowly. This causes them to pick up additional water, resulting in more rain and more hazards and damages.
Stronger hurricanes, storms, and damages
The Gulf Coast has already felt these due to 2020's succession of damaging storms.
An example is Hurricane Laura, the strongest storm ever to strike Louisiana in over 100 years. It made landfall with a Category 4 classification, which is also the same as the record in 1856 that hit Louisiana.
Laura cut off power for a half-million residents and had storm surges that were termed "unsurvivable." Hurricanes Laura altered NHC's view on how to talk about risks.
Announcing the storm surge as "unsurvivable" seemed to affect positively because the state recorded no deaths, even if the significant impact occurred.
According to the NHC hurricane specialist unit director, even if they do not know if the change in terminology caused an impact, they certainly see it in a positive light. Therefore, they said that the public should expect such communication as of this during future weather events.
With the worsening climate change, so will hurricanes follow suit, including the record-breaking storm and the fifth storm named this year that hit Louisiana named Hurricane Zeta. We can expect more bad seasons in the years to come.
READ ALSO: 2020 Disasters: Hurricanes, Heatwaves, Wildfires, and Drought, Cost US $16 Billion
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