MORGAN CITY, La. (AP) For the sixth time in the Atlantic hurricane season, people in Louisiana are once more fleeing the states barrier islands and sailing boats to safe harbor while emergency officials ramp up command centers and consider ordering evacuations.

The storm being watched Wednesday was Hurricane Delta , the 25th named storm of the Atlantics unprecedented hurricane season . Forecasts placed most of Louisiana within Deltas path, with the latest National Hurricane Center estimating landfall in the state on Friday.

The centers forecasters warned of winds that could gust well above 100 mph (160 kph) and up to 11 feet (3.4 meters) of ocean water potentially rushing onshore when the storms center hits land.

This season has been relentless, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said, dusting off his now common refrain of 2020 - Prepare for the worst. Pray for the best.

Delta strengthened back into a Category 2 hurricane early Thursday after a hurricane warning was issued for a stretch of the northern U.S. Gulf Coast. Some weakening is forecast once Delta approaches the northern Gulf Coast on Friday, when the National Hurricane Center predicted hurricane conditions would begin in parts of the area. The center said Delta is expected to become a major hurricane again, like it was days earlier before hitting the Mexican Yucatan Peninsula on Wednesday .