Live updates: Hurricane Zeta’s wind and surge cause power outages, damage on MS Coast
The Sun Herald will update this article as new information comes available.
11:13 p.m.
Hurricane Zeta is now over southwestern Alabama and moving north-northeast, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The USS Alabama in Mobile reported sustained wind of 64 miles per hour.
11:10 p.m.
Police Chief John Miller confirmed the first Biloxi death in the wake of Hurricane Zeta. Police believe it’s possible the individual drowned. The person’s identity has not been released.
10:33 p.m.
Damage from Hurricane Zeta has forced Jackson County to close its government offices on Thursday.
The plan is to resume normal hours on Friday.
10:27 p.m.
Updated information on when Hurricane Zeta’s strongest winds are likely to hit various cities in Mississippi:
According to Gov. Tate Reeves, President Donald Trump approved Mississippi’s Hurricane Zeta emergency declaration late Wednesday night.
10:02 p.m.
The center of Hurricane Zeta will leave Mississippi and move into southern Alabama soon, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 80 miles per hour with higher gusts.
Zeta should lose strength and become a tropical storm over night before becoming a non-tropical system Thursday morning. The storm is expected to move quickly across the Southeast before emerging offshore of the Mid-Atlantic coast.
9:54
Gulfport police are discouraging people from driving on Highway 90 after Hurricane Zeta’s wind and surge impacted the corridor.
The majority of traffic lights are missing along the highway and drivers are asked to treat them as stop signs, GPD said in a Wednesday night tweet.
9:35 p.m.
Sun Herald photographer Lukas Flippo shared these images from inside the Golden Nugget parking garage in Biloxi, which has flooded:
The Associated Press is reporting the first fatality from Hurricane Zeta, a 55-year-old man electrocuted by downed power lines. His name has not been released.
9:10 p.m.
Winds are beginning to decrease in South Mississippi, according to a report by the National Hurricane Center.
During the last hour, several stations in Biloxi/Gulfport area have reported wind gusts from 75-100 miles per hour.
The latest observations indicate that winds are starting to die down in the area.
The National Ocean Service station in Waveland has reported an inundation of 8.16 feet.
Nearly 100,000 customers are without power in Harrison County, according to Emergency Management director Rupert Lacy.
8:25 p.m.
U.S. Highway 90 in Pass Christian has begun take on water in Pass Christian, according Harrison County Emergency Management director Rupert Lacy.
8:15 p.m.
The Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport registered a peak gust of 95 miles per hour as Hurricane Zeta hits the Mississippi Gulf Coast, according to the National Weather Service in Slidell, Louisiana.
The National Ocean Service station in Waveland reported sustained winds of 80 mph and a wind gust of 104.
Power outages are wide spread throughout the state’s southernmost six counties.
8 p.m.
Hurricane Zeta is bringing wind gusts of 80-90 miles per hour to the Mississippi Gulf Coast, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Waveland has seen gusts of 91 mph with sustained winds at 73 mph, the National Weather Service in New Orleans tweeted.
Gulfport has has 92 mph wind gusts with sustained winds of 68 mph.
In Biloxi, the bottom level of the Golden Nugget parking garage is dealing with flooding.
“You are still in the thick of it across coastal MS, stay sheltered!” - NWS Nola
7 p.m.
Hurricane Zeta’s winds have decreased to 100 mph as it moved into South Mississippi, the National Hurricane Center reported at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 35 miles from the center and tropical storm-force winds stretch out up to 150 miles.
Zeta is now moving 25 mph.
6 p.m.
Bay St. Louis and Picayune will be see worsening conditions soon as the eye of Hurricane Zeta moves northeast out of New Orleans and toward the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, according to Kevin Gilmore of the National Weather Service in Slidell, Louisiana.
In a 5:30 p.m. video on Facebook, Gilmore said that the eye of Zeta will move into Slidell at about 6:30 p.m. as it moves closer to the Mississippi state line.
“This will be coming up to the north. Pearl River (La.), Picayune and Bay St. Louis, you’re next to see increasing impacts,” Gilmore said.
Conditions will continue to deteriorate along the Mississippi Coast with surge estimated to be 7-11 feet for Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties.
“Conditions have gotten worse in the Gulfport-Biloxi area, and they will continue to get worse,“ Gilmore said.
Power outages
As of 6 p.m. Wednesday, Mississippi Power is reporting 1,930 power outages in Jackson County, 414 in Harrison County and 23 in Pearl River County.
Coast Electric has 2,216 customers without power in Hancock County, 383 in Harrison County and 187 in Pearl River County
Singing River Electric is reporting 884 outages in Jackson County and 135 in Harrison County.
Second landfall in MS
A second landfall along the Mississippi Coast is expected sometime Wednesday evening, and the NHC upgraded its storm surge forecast to 7-11 feet for Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties.
A tornado watch is in effect until midnight for South Mississippi to the Hattiesburg area.
The National Weather Service in New Orleans says hurricane-force winds of 75 miles per hour or more are expected in Hancock, Harrison and Pearl River counties.
Zeta’s hurricane-force winds extend out 35 miles, while tropical storm-force winds extending 150 miles outward.
“You’re going to have the potential for some roof damage and siding damage,” National Weather Service meteorologist Megan Williams said. “Trees could be snapped or uprooted, power outages, those kinds of things.”
Rain of 3-4 inches is forecast on the Coast, with up to 6 inches possible.
Hurricane Zeta strikes Louisiana first
Hurricane Zeta made landfall around 4 p.m. southwest of New Orleans near Cocodrie, Louisiana, as a high Category 2 storm with sustained winds of 110 mph and higher gusts.
A weather station in Golden Meadow, Louisiana, reported sustained 94 mph winds and a gust of 110.
The Lafourche Parish president told WDSU wind gusts reached 136 mph.
The eye wall of Zeta was approaching New Orleans at 5 p.m., according to the National Hurricane Center.
Need to know
▪ A 5 p.m. curfew has been issued in Gulfport, D’Iberville, Long Beach and Hancock County, with a 6 p.m. curfew for Harrison County.
▪ Mandatory evacuation issued for low-lying areas of Hancock County. Voluntary evacuation for low-lying areas of Jackson County.
▪ Hurricane warning and tornado watch: Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Pearl River, Stone, George counties
▪ Storm surge warning: Hancock, Harrison, Jackson counties
▪ Tropical storm warning issued as far north as Hattiesburg and McComb
Evacuations and declaration
Gov. Tate Reeves has requested a pre-landfall federal disaster declaration in ahead of Zeta’s landfall. Under the request, FEMA would be authorized to provide emergency protective measures for 13 Mississippi counties.
“Emergency operators are working to get ready for storm surge and hard winds – up to nine feet of surge and winds up to 100 mph. Stay sharp, stay safe and pray for God’s protection,” Reeves said.
A mandatory evacuation order has been issued for all low lying areas in Hancock County. Those who lives on rivers, river inlets, bayou creeks, and in travel trailers, modular homes or mobile homes, homes under construction and or partially constructed homes are directed to evacuate immediately.
Jackson County has issued a voluntary evacuation for low-lying areas.
Harrison County recommends that people who live in low-lying areas or in areas prone to flooding move to higher ground away from the storm surge.
South Mississippi prepares
Traffic lights on U.S. 90 have been switched to flashing red lights, which the Mississippi Department of Transportation says should be treated as four-way stops.
Biloxi Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich is requesting people limit their travel as conditions deteriorate, while curfews have been issued in other localities.
Schools and businesses are closing early Wednesday ahead of the storm and many schools will be closed Thursday:
List of business and government closures
Shelters are opening in all of the Coast counties:
- Central Jackson County Shelter, 5500 Ballpark Rd. in Vancleave, opens Wednesday at 3 p.m.
- The Kiln Shelter at 18320 Mississippi Highway 43 in Hancock County.
- The Poplarville Safe Room at 124 Rodeo Street in Poplarville is scheduled to open Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 8 a.m.
- Gulfport’s County Farm Road 361 Shelter at 15038 County Farm Road, opens at 2 p.m. Wednesday
- The Saucier Lizana Road 361 Shelter at 23771 Saucier Lizana Road opens at 2 p.m. Wednesday
D’Iberville High School shelter at 15625 Lamey Bridge Road in Biloxi opens at 5 p.m. Wednesday
Benndale 361 Shelter, 5207 Highway 26 West in Lucedale opens at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Stone County Elementary School, 1652 East Central Ave., Wiggins opens at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.
10 a.m. update from Hurricane Center
The 10 a.m. update from the National Hurricane Center says Zeta is 210 miles southwest of the mouth of the Mississippi River and moving at an 18 mph clip, up from 17 mph at the 7 a.m. advisory. The hurricane will speed through Mississippi, with the biggest impacts in the late afternoon and early evening.
Zeta will be out of Mississippi by about midnight, and cooler temperatures will follow.
Wind speeds remain 90 mph., just below the category 2 winds of 96-110 mph, with higher gusts. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 35 miles from the center and tropical-storm force winds extent up to 150 miles.
The speed of Zeta will keep rainfall at 2-4 inches for South Mississippi, with isolated amounts of 6” possible.
A few tornadoes are expected this afternoon into tonight in southern parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.
This story was originally published October 28, 2020 at 7:24 AM.