Hurricane Zeta has strengthened into a Category 2 as it nears landfall in southeast Louisiana later today.

Maximum sustained winds have increased to 100 mph. Zeta has rapidly intensified in the past 24 hours, which is a wind speed increase of 35 mph or more in 24 hours or less.

Conditions are beginning to deteriorate on the northern Gulf Coast. Zeta will make landfall late this afternoon into the early evening with life-threatening storm surge, damaging winds and heavy rainfall.

Damaging winds from Zeta will spread far inland across the South tonight into Thursday as the system races northeastward.

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