Category 4 Hurricane Delta takes aim at Cancun before heading to Louisiana

Powerful Hurricane Delta is heading to Cancun, Mexico, before taking aim at Louisiana.

Delta rapidly strengthened to a Category 3 storm, and then a Category 4, Tuesday morning, becoming the third major hurricane of the 2020 Atlantic season.

Delta is forecast to stay at a Category 4 hurricane when it slams into Cancun Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning.

Landfall in Cancun is forecast for around 4 a.m. Delta is expected to bring dangerous winds, flash flooding, up to 10 inches of rain, destructive winds, and storm surge to the Yucatán Peninsula.

The last major hurricane to come this close to Cancun was Wilma in 2005.

Delta will not lose much strength after making landfall in Mexico. The hurricane is forecast to re-strengthen to a Category 4 hurricane in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday afternoon.

Delta is forecast to weaken to a Category 2 when it hits the Louisiana coast on Friday night.

Delta will bring heavy rain to parts of Louisiana and Mississippi on Friday and Saturday. Models show the heaviest rain stretching from Lake Charles, Louisiana, to Memphis, Tennessee, where some spots could see 6 to 12 inches of rain due to flash flooding.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards has declared a state of emergency.

"Everyone in South Louisiana should pay close attention to the weather in the coming days," he said in a statement.

"We have seen an active hurricane season already, with a devastating hit in Southwest Louisiana from Hurricane Laura. It would be a mistake for anyone in Louisiana to let down their guard," he said.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has also issued a state of emergency and ordered some evacuations.

"Working with local leaders in Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, Dauphin Island and the unincorporated areas of Ono Island and Fort Morgan, it has been determined that all visitors and tourists should proceed with a mandatory evacuation of the Alabama Gulf Coast starting first thing tomorrow morning," she said.

Delta is the ninth hurricane in the Atlantic so far this season, tying for the most in a single season. In only three other years in recorded history - 1995, 2004 and 2005 -- have we had this many hurricanes this early in the season.

If Delta makes landfall in the U.S., it would be the 10th named storm to make landfall in one season, which has never happened before in recorded history.