The Gulf Coast from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle was put under hurricane watch Tuesday as Hurricane Opal inched northward. In its wake, heavy winds, high surf and floodwaters left at least seven people dead and 20 missing in Mexico.
Forecasters said Opal wasn't expected to hit the U.S. mainland until about midday Wednesday. The storm became a hurricane on Monday, and its 80-mph winds were expected to increase in intensity Tuesday as Opal moved over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.At 5 a.m. EDT, Opal was centered about 490 miles south-southwest of the mouth of the Mississippi River, heading north at 8 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.
As a tropical storm, Opal passed through southern Mexico over the weekend, causing widespread flooding that drove more than 20,000 people in Campeche state from their homes. The official Notimex news agency said 100,000 people had to evacuate.
Five people, including a baby boy who drowned, died in Campeche as a result of the storm, Notimex said. Two people reportedly died in Tabasco.
The state of Tabasco has received 20 percent of its annual average rainfall in the past four days. Four hundred communities in the state were flooded.
Twelve-foot waves were reported in Mexican waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Most commercial and fishing ports were closed, as were some airports.
Tropical storm warnings remained in effect from the eastern side of the Yucatan Peninsula westward to Veracruz state, but forecasters expected those to be dropped Tuesday.
The hurricane watch was in effect from Morgan City, La., to just west of Pensacola, Fla.