First Atlantic hurricane of 2026 to threaten US Gulf Coast

The US Gulf Coast is likely to be hit by the first Atlantic hurricane of the year in the coming days from the storm now strengthening off the Mexican coast.

A tropical depression, the first step in a storm’s development into a hurricane, formed about 630 miles south of the mouth of the Mississippi River with winds of 35 mph, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said at 5 p.m. in New York.

The system is expected to weaken to Tropical Storm Isaias by Wednesday and to hurricane strength by Thursday.

“Residents from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle should closely monitor the latest forecast updates and ensure they have their hurricane plan in place,” John Cangialosi, the center’s chief hurricane specialist, wrote in his outlook. “The system will bring areas of heavy rainfall to the central Gulf Coast Friday through the weekend.”

Current track forecasts place the storm east of major offshore oil and gas production south of Louisiana and Texas, although some disruption could occur depending on its track and size. If the forecast holds, winds will top out at 100 mph, making it a Category 2 hurricane on the five-point Saffir-Simpson scale. It would be the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, a milestone normally reached in the second week of August.

This year’s Atlantic season has fallen well short of the usual pace, with eight named storms, none of which have become hurricanes. By early October, the average season typically produced about 11 named storms, including five hurricanes and two major hurricanes.

Strengthening El Niño conditions increased wind shear, which helped suppress activity across the basin. Shear occurs when the wind changes speed or direction at different altitudes, disrupting the structure of the storm.

Warm Gulf waters will feed the storm, Cangialosi said.

“Based on environmental conditions and model guidance, the cyclone is likely to peak in strength before reaching the coast,” he said.

In addition to strong winds, the storm is expected to drop up to 6 inches of rain across the Gulf states, with some isolated areas getting up to 10 inches, the hurricane center said.

This article was generated from an automated news agency source without text modification.