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Hurricane Delta: Weather Alert

Hurricane Delta is projected to grow

Hurricane Delta arrived over the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday, October 7th, and has weakened into a category two storm as it heads for a Friday landfall on the U.S. Gulf Coast. The National Hurricane Center predicts Hurricane Delta will make landfall Friday afternoon with winds of 120 MPH, bringing with it life-threatening storm surge and dangerous hurricane-force winds off the Louisiana coast.

Source: NOAA

As of Friday, October 9th at 0700 AM (CDT), the National Hurricane Center issued the following watches and warnings:

  • Storm Surge Warning is in effect for High Island, TX, to Mouth of the Pearl River, LA, including Calcasieu Lake, LA, Vermilion Bay, LA, and Lake Borgne, LA
  • Hurricane Warning is in effect for High Island, TX, to Morgan City, LA
  • Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for:
    • West of High Island, TX, to Sargent, TX
    • East of Morgan City, LA, to the mouth of the Pearl River, LA including New Orleans, LA
    • Lake Pontchartrain, LA, and Lake Maurepas, LA

Hurricane Delta Transportation Updates As Of October 9, 2020:

  • FreightWaves reported Thursday, October 8th is the last day this week that carriers can pick up any available loads from Gulf Coast markets in and near Delta’s potential impact zone.
  • The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has suspended Hours of Service (HOS) regulations for truck drivers who will assist in Hurricane Delta’s recovery.
  • Southeastern Freight Lines has announced the following service centers are under “limited operations” due to mandatory evacuations and customer closures in coastal areas:
    • LA: BTR, LAF, NRL
    • TX: OTX
  • Old Dominion Freight Lines has announced the following service centers are under “limited operations” due to Hurricane Delta:
    • Beaumont (BMT), TX, Terminal and New Orleans (NOL), LA, Terminal are both operating with slight service delays
    • Baton Rouge (BTR), LA, Terminal and Lafayette (LFT), LA, Terminal are both closed
  • Averitt has announced changes to the following service centers:
    • Beaumont, TX (BMT/128) is closed as of 13:00 (CST) Friday, October 8th
      • Expedited/Guaranteed Service shipments and Dock Pickups are suspended at this facility
    • Baton Rouge, LA (BTR/102) will close at 14:00 (CST) Friday, October 8th, and drivers will be pulled off the street
      • Expedited/Guaranteed Service shipments and Dock Pickups are suspended at this facility
    • New Orleans, LA (NOL/094) will have limited operations in the Southwestern areas of the NOL service area
      • Expedited/Guaranteed Service shipments and Dock Pickups can only be performed with leadership approval and scheduling
  • FedEx Freight has temporarily suspended service in parts of Louisiana and has partial service in parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. To learn if your zip code is impacted, please click here
  • YRC has announced the following terminals are now in status “Limited operations”:
    • Terminal 471, New Orleans, LA
    • Terminal 473, Baton Rouge (Port Allen), LA
    • Terminal 521, Houston, TX:
  • Interstate highways 10, 12, 49, 55, and 59 are in the potential impact zone. Additionally, Union Pacific, BNSF, Kansas City Southern, and CSX all have rails in the potential path, according to FreightWaves.
  • Union Pacific’s Avondale, LA, intermodal terminal will remain closed until 0700 (CDT) on Monday, October 12th. This closure applies to both inbound and outbound intermodal activity.
  • Union Pacific is curtailing operations in parts of Southern Louisiana and Southeast Texas.
  • The following ports are open but vessel movement is limited due to their Yankee port status: Baton Rouge, LA, New Orleans, LA, Plaquemines, LA, South Louisiana, St. Bernard, LA, and the Venice Port Complex, LA.
  • As of Thursday morning, all interstate highways, roads, and Gulf Coast Ports are open. For the latest updates on closures, please refer to:

The GlobalTranz team will continue to track Hurricane Delta’s impact on shippers and carriers in the affected regions and assist with any weather-related supply chain disruptions.

This weather event is rapidly evolving. For updates and more information, please continue to visit the GlobalTranz blog and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.