Overall Orange alert Tropical Cyclone for ZETA-20
in United States, Mexico, Cuba

Event summary

Tropical Cyclone ZETA-20 can have a medium humanitarian impact based on the maximum sustained wind speed, exposed population and vulnerability.

GDACS ID TC 1000735
Name ZETA-20
From - To 24 Oct - 29 Oct
Exposed countries United States, Mexico, Cuba
Exposed population 3.2 million in Category 1 or higher
Maximum wind speed 176 km/h Category 2
Maximum storm surge 1.5 m (29 Oct 00:00 UTC)
Vulnerability Medium (Mexico)

GDACS Score

For more info on GDACS alert score click here.
Wind Storm surge Rainfall GDACS score
GDACS NOAA 93 km/h 1.5 m n.a. 0.5
Single TC: maximum expected impact (wind, storm surge, rainfall)
HWRF 173 km/h 2.3 m 720 mm 0.5
GFS 130 km/h 2.4 m 424 mm 0.5
ECMWF 122 km/h 1.7 m 648 mm 0.5
Maximum expected impact (wind, storm surge and rainfall) using different data sources.
Virtual OSOCC
Meteo assessment
Satellite products
Analytical products
Mexico, Cuba, USA - Hurricane ZETA (ECHO 27 Oct 2020)Tue, 27 Oct 2020 10:59

  • Hurricane ZETA made landfall early on 27 October over northern Quintana Roo State, close to Playa del Carmen City, with maximum sustained winds of 120 km/h (Category 1 Hurricane).
  • Heavy rain has been reported across the Mexican Yucatan Peninsula, Cuba, and Jamaica. According to media, a landslide in St. Andrew (Jamaica), killed 2 people. Several towns remain isolated in Cuba, after flooding damaged infrastructure in Santiago de Cuba.
  • ZETA is forecast to move north-west over Yucatan State, reaching Gulf of Mexico in the afternoon of 27 October before approaching the Mississippi Delta early on 29 October.
  • A hurricane warning is in effect for coastal areas from northern Quintana Roo to central Yucatan State.
USA- Hurricane ZETA (ECHO 28 Oct 2020)Wed, 28 Oct 2020 11:02

  • Hurricane ZETA is moving north over the Gulf of Mexico, located approximately 660 km south-west of New Orleans (Louisiana) on 28 October at 6.00 UTC, with maximum sustained winds of 120 km/h.
  • ZETA is predicted to intensify before making landfall over the New Orleans area early on 29 October, with maximum sustained winds between 120-140 km/h. 
  • A state of emergency has been declared for Louisiana and up to 3,606 evacuees are still in shelters, following Hurricanes LAURA and DELTA in August and October. 
  • A hurricane warning is in effect from coastal central Louisiana to the Mississippi/Alabama border, a storm surge warning for coastal areas from central Lousiana to western Florida and a tropical storm warning from Mississippi/Alabama border to western Florida.
USA - Tropical Storm ZETA (ECHO 29 Oct 2020)Thu, 29 Oct 2020 11:05

  • Tropical Storm ZETA made landfall over the Mississippi Delta and New Orleans on the evening of 28 October, as a Category 2 Hurricane. On 29 October, at 6.00 UTC its centre was 30 km south-easts of Tuscaloosa City (Alabama), with maximum sustained winds of 110 km/h.
  • Media report 2 fatalities in the New Orleans area and damage to buildings and power lines that have left 500,000 residents without power. Damage has also been reported in southern Alabama.
  • ZETA is forecast to move north-east as a tropical storm, entering the North Atlantic Ocean in the evening of 30 October.
  • A storm surge warning is in effect for coastal areas from the Mississippi/Alabama border to the Alabama/Florida border and a storm warning for the Mississippi/Alabama border to western Florida.
Detailed event map. European Union, 2024. Map produced by EC-JRC.
The boundaries and the names shown on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the European Union.

Updates on volcanic activity (Smithsonian)

Latest media headlines

Articles: 2467 | About casualties: 214 | Last hour: 0

Hurricane Eta Heads Toward Central America - The New York TimesMon, 02 Nov 2020 20:48:00 +0100.

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1 p.m. Update: Power restored to 99% of Georgia Power customers impact ... Mon, 02 Nov 2020 20:37:00 +0100.

ATLANTA Nov. 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Georgia Power has restored power to 99% of customers, more than 806,000, impacted by Hurricane Zeta. More than 4,000 Georgia Power personnel, with assistance from out-of-state utilities, were mobilized a
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1 p.m. Update: Power restored to 99% of Georgia Power customers impact ... Mon, 02 Nov 2020 20:31:00 +0100.

Georgia Power has restored power to 99% of customers, more than 806,000, impacted by Hurricane Zeta. More than 4,000 Georgia Power personnel, with assistance from out-of-state utilities, were mobilized as part of the company's restoration e
...(more)
Fast-growing hurricane threatens flooding in Central AmericaMon, 02 Nov 2020 20:31:00 +0100.

This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution to colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire about permissions/licensing, please go to: MANAGUA, Nicarag
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Estimated casualties (PAGER)

USGS estimates the number of casualties for each earthquake for the Prompt Assessment of Global Earthquakes for Response (PAGER) product.
The graph shows the current fatalities estimate.

Exposed population

Data, images, links, services and documents

For this events, GDACS has links to information from the following sources: EC-JRC (38), (2), DesInventar (1), WMO (1), INFORM (2),