(RNN) - The Gulf Coast is bracing for the expected arrival of Tropical Storm Nate, which will likely be a category 1 hurricane by landfall.
As of the 11 a.m. CDT advisory from the National Hurricane Center, Nate was packing maximum-sustained winds of 50 mph as it churned 175 miles southeast of Cozumel, Mexico, moving to the north-northwest at 21 mph.
In addition to warnings for Cuba and Mexico, portions of the Gulf Coastwere placed under watches and warnings ahead of the tropical storm.
A hurricane warning has been issued from Grand Isle, LA, to the Alabama/Florida border.
A storm surge warning is in effect from Morgan City, LA, east to the Alabama-Mississippi state line, including the northern and western coasts of Lake Pontchartrain.
A tropical storm warning is now in effect for metropolitan New Orleans, Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas, and from west of Grand Isle to Morgan City Louisiana.
A hurricane watch is in effect from the Mississippi-Alabama state line to the Okaloosa-Walton County line in Florida.
A tropical storm watch is in effect east of the Okaloosa/Walton County Line to Indian Pass, FL.
Nate is expected to bring heavy rainfall, strong winds, rough surf and storm surge to the Gulf Coast by Saturday, making landfall as a hurricane by early Sunday morning.
The storm may bring surges of up to 7 feet to the warned area, with the deepest water occuring along the immediate coast near and to the east of wherever landfall occurs, with strong waves added to the mix. Surge-related flooding will depend on whether the area is experiencing low or high tide at landfall.
Forecasters said the tropical storm should keep moving to the north-northwest quickly for the next two days, sandwiched as it is between a cyclonic gyre in Central America and a subtropical ridge over the western Atlantic. After that, it will swing toward the northeast, influenced by a mid-latitude westerly flow.
Because the storm has been moving north recently, the latest track has shifted slightly to the east.
Nate has been blamed for 22 deaths in Central America, the Associated Press said on Thursday. The center is expected to approach the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula late Friday.
The tropical storm comes on the heels of three destructive and deadly hurricanes in one of the worst hurricane seasons in recent years.
Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria have left more than 170 people dead and caused billions in damage to Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Barbuda and other Caribbean islands.
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