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Tropical Storm Zeta gaining strength, hurricane warnings issued for Louisiana coast

Tropical Storm Zeta expected to become a hurricane before making landfall in Louisiana Wednesday
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Tropical Storm Zeta is expected to strengthen into a hurricane before slamming into the Louisiana coast late Wednesday night with "life-threatening storm surge."

Zeta is moving north of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula Tuesday night, after dumping rain and causing potential flash flooding. As of 5 p.m. ET, Zeta was moving north at about 14 mph, with sustained winds of 65 mph.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) says that by Wednesday evening, the storm will bring "life-threatening" conditions to the Louisiana coastline.

The NHC projects that Zeta will make landfall on the eastern Louisiana coastline on Wednesday evening, bringing with it "hurricane conditions and life-threatening storm surge."

Hurricane warnings are in effect for the coast between Morgan City, Louisiana and the Mississippi-Alabama border, as well as the areas of Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas, and metro New Orleans.

The storm is also projected to bring hurricane conditions to parts of the Mississippi and Alabama coastlines.

Zeta is the 27th named storm of 2020 — tying the record-setting 2005 hurricane season. And no region has been targeted more by tropical storms this year than the Louisiana coast.

The Louisiana coastline has already been targeted by four major storms this year — Cristobal, Laura, Marco and Delta. The strongest of those storms, Laura, reached category 4 status and caused extensive damage to the Lake Charles area, contributing to 17 deaths in the U.S.