Hurricane Delta is emerging off Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula into the Gulf of Mexico and has prompted watches along the U.S. Gulf Coast where a landfall is expected Friday. The predicted path of Hurricane Delta has moved further west since yesterday and no longer includes Alabama or Florida.

A watch is issued when tropical storm or hurricane conditions are possible within 48 hours. A warning is issued when those conditions are expected within 36 hours.

A hurricane watch is now in effect from High Island, Texas, to Grand Isle, Louisiana. This watch is usually issued 48 hours in advance of the onset of tropical storm conditions which make preparing difficult or dangerous.

A storm surge watch is also in effect from High Island, Texas, to the Alabama-Florida border, including Calcasieu Lake, Vermilion Bay, Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas, Lake Borgne and Mobile Bay. This watch means a dangerous, life-threatening inundation from rising water moving inland is possible within 48 hours.

Tropical storm watches have been posted from San Luis Pass to west of High Island, Texas, including Galveston Bay and from east of Grand Isle, Louisiana, to Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, including New Orleans, Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas. This means tropical storm are possible in these areas within 48 hours.

Residents near the immediate coast and adjacent bays should have their hurricane plans ready to implement and follow any evacuation orders from local emergency managers.

As with all weather prediction, this is a fluid situation. We will keep you posted as things develop.