Hurricane Nate : Gulf Coast battens down as landfall occurs
Nate
Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE As Tropical Storm Nate gained force and sped toward Mexico and the US Gulf Coast  New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu told residents he has implemented a mandatory curfew from Saturday evening until Sunday morning but insisted the city is prepared. (Oct. 6) AP
New Orleans residents fill sand bags on Oct. 6  2017  in preparation for weekend arrival of  Hurricane Nate . (Photo: Sean Gardner  Getty Images)
 Hurricane Nate  rolled into the mouth of the Mississippi River on Saturday night as a Category 1 storm with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph  the National Hurricane Center reported with predictions it would quickly begin to lose strength.
The storm made landfall about 10 miles southwest of the Mississippi River's mouth or about 100 miles south of Biloxi. Forecasters said while wind speeds had dropped   Nate  still would bring the potential for heavy storm surges  depending on how the winds and tides combined.
Forecasters initially had predicted  Nate  would gain strength but new data shows the storm's maximum winds dropped to 85 mph.
âº Speed: How did  Nate  pop up so quickly? Expert explains
"Strengthening now appears unlikely before  Nate 's center reaches the Mississippi coast during the next few hours " the hurricane center reported. "Rapid weakening is expected after landfall with  Nate  becoming a tropical depression by Sunday night" when its center is forecast to be over the Knoxville area and Smoky Mountains in Tennessee.
The center predicted  Nate  would turn toward the north-northeast Saturday night  then northeast. The center of  Nate  is expected to make a second landfall along the coast of Mississippi tonight.
States of emergency were declared in four Gulf Coast states as Nate  which already killed at least 21 people in Central America  became the latest in a succession of destructive storms this hurricane season.
President Trump approved an emergency declaration for a large area of the state and ordered federal assistance for Louisiana as  Nate  approached the central Gulf of Mexico.
âWe are ready for whatever  Nate  brings our way â Landrieu said. Two flash floods this summer led to revelations about personnel and equipment problems at the agency that runs that system.
â¢ In Mississippi  Gov. Phil Bryant declared a state of emergency in six southernmost counties. State officials warned that  Nate âs main danger was the possibility of up to 10 feet of storm surge in low-lying coastal areas as well as from winds that could damage mobile homes.
He warned people to be prepared to be self-sufficient for at least 72 hours. A 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew was ordered for Jackson County just east of Biloxi  where the brunt of  Nate  was expected.
Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE As Tropical Storm Nate gained force and sped toward Mexico and the US Gulf Coast  New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu told residents he has implemented a mandatory curfew from Saturday evening until Sunday morning but insisted the city is prepared. (Oct. 6) AP
New Orleans residents fill sand bags on Oct. 6  2017  in preparation for weekend arrival of  [TGT]  . (Photo: Sean Gardner  Getty Images)
  [TGT] rolled into the mouth of the Mississippi River on Saturday night as a Category 1 storm with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph  the National Hurricane Center reported with predictions it would quickly begin to lose strength.
The storm made landfall about 10 miles southwest of the Mississippi River's mouth or about 100 miles south of Biloxi. Forecasters said while wind speeds had dropped    [TGT] still would bring the potential for heavy storm surges  depending on how the winds and tides combined.
Forecasters initially had predicted   [TGT] would gain strength but new data shows the storm's maximum winds dropped to 85 mph.
âº Speed: How did   [TGT] pop up so quickly? Expert explains
"Strengthening now appears unlikely before  Nate 's center reaches the Mississippi coast during the next few hours " the hurricane center reported. "Rapid weakening is expected after landfall with   [TGT] becoming a tropical depression by Sunday night" when  [TGT]  center is forecast to be over the Knoxville area and Smoky Mountains in Tennessee.
The center predicted   [TGT] would turn toward the north-northeast Saturday night  then northeast. The center of   [TGT] is expected to make a second landfall along the coast of Mississippi tonight.
States of emergency were declared in four Gulf Coast states as  [TGT]   which already killed at least 21 people in Central America  became the latest in a succession of destructive storms this hurricane season.
President Trump approved an emergency declaration for a large area of the state and ordered federal assistance for Louisiana as   [TGT] approached the central Gulf of Mexico.
âWe are ready for whatever   [TGT] brings our way â Landrieu said. Two flash floods this summer led to revelations about personnel and equipment problems at the agency that runs that system.
â¢ In Mississippi  Gov. Phil Bryant declared a state of emergency in six southernmost counties. State officials warned that  Nate âs main danger was the possibility of up to 10 feet of storm surge in low-lying coastal areas as well as from winds that could damage mobile homes.
He warned people to be prepared to be self-sufficient for at least 72 hours. A 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew was ordered for Jackson County just east of Biloxi  where the brunt of   [TGT] was expected.