Delta then began to turn more north-northeastward into an area of cooler waters, higher wind shear, and dry air, causing it to weaken back to Category 2 status.

Delta then made landfall at 23:00 UTC near Creole, Louisiana with winds of 100 mph (160 km/h) and a pressure of 970 mbar (29 inHg).

Widespread tropical cyclone watches and warnings were issued throughout the Western Caribbean and the Mexican states of Yucatán and Quintana Roo, which had just been hit by Hurricane Gamma, in preparation for the storm.

Louisiana and Southeast Texas were again by heavy rain, high winds, and storm surge, and 14 weak tornadoes were confirmed in Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and the Carolinas.

[3] As the system moved across the Lesser Antilles, thunderstorm activity fluctuated, inhibited from development by moderate vertical wind shear and dry air intrusion.

At 18:00 UTC on October 4, analysis of satellite imagery and scatterometer data found a well-defined circulation center sustaining sufficiently-organized deep convection, marking the formation of Tropical Depression Twenty-Six about 100 mi (170 km) south of Kingston, Jamaica.

Convection continued to increase after formation, but was initially confined to the southern portion of the circulation due to northerly wind shear.

Once the shear lessened on October 5, convection became more symmetric around the center, and the system strengthened to become Tropical Storm Delta by 12:00 UTC that day about 150 mi (240 km) south-southwest of Montego Bay, Jamaica.

[1] While accelerating west-northwestward over the Western Caribbean along a building subtropical ridge to its north and northeast, Delta commenced a phase of rapid intensification over ideal environmental conditions encompassing warm seas, low wind shear, and high levels of moisture aloft, becoming a Category 1 hurricane 12 hours after being named.

[9] Delta attained its peak intensity by 18:00 UTC with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph (220 km/h) and a barometric pressure of 953 mbar (28.14 inHg).

The storm remained well-organized throughout its passage over the peninsula, situating over conducive atmospheric and oceanic conditions; as such, Delta again intensified.

[1] Satellite imagery revealed a central dense overcast as the system gradually intensifies into a Category 2 hurricane at 06:00 UTC of October 8.

[11] Delta steadily became more organized, with an eye occasionally becoming evident on satellite imagery and a lowering minimum central pressure as it turned northward ahead of an approaching trough to its northwest.

Early on October 9, Delta attained its secondary peak intensity with sustained winds of 120 mph (195 km/h) and a central pressure of 953 mbar (28.14 inHg).

The storm held the intensity overnight until an increase of southwesterly wind shear and a decrease in ocean heat weakened it over the northern Gulf of Mexico into a Category 2 hurricane at 18:00 UTC.

[16] As Delta was nearing landfall in Quintana Roo, many communities were still being impacted by the remnants of Hurricane Gamma, which caused six deaths and left thousands of people homeless.

[16] President Andrés Manuel López Obrador reported on October 6 that Admiral José Rafael Ojeda Durán, Secretary of the Navy, and Laura Velázquez, National Coordinator of Civil Protection, were traveling to Quintana Roo to help with preparations for Hurricane Delta.

[21] In addition, the president announced on October 6 the activation of the DN-III-E emergency plan and the mobilization of 5,000 soldiers of the Armed Forces to the southeast of the country, to help with the evacuation of sheltering of people still recovering from Gamma.

[18] More than 4,000 people, including tourists and residents, were evacuated from Holbox due to the threat of life-threatening impacts from Hurricane Delta.

[26] On October 8, President Donald Trump approved Governor Reeves' request for a federal emergency declaration in anticipation of Hurricane Delta.

[30] On October 6, Governor of Louisiana, John Bel Edwards, declared a state of emergency ahead of Hurricane Delta.

[32] A group of firefighters from Tulsa, Oklahoma traveled to Monroe to set-up a shelter for evacuees and help with swift water rescues along the coast.

[37] More than 1,000 Louisiana National Guardsmen, 7,500 utility workers, and dozens of high water rescue vehicles, boats, and aircraft were put on standby.

[30] On October 5, the oil drilling companies of BP and BHP began evacuating non-essential personnel from their offshore platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.

[44] Before the arrival of the hurricane, a 65-year-old man in Tizimin, Yucatán, lost his life after falling from the second floor of his house while preparing for the storm.

[49] The Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport reported 8 inches (200 mm) of rain, which prompted a flash flood warning issued by the National Weather Service.

[63] In addition, a 70-year-old woman in Iberia Parish died in a fire likely caused by a natural gas leak following damage from Hurricane Delta.

[52][53][54] In Galveston, about 100 miles (160 km) from where the center made landfall, winds toppled trees, street signs and two homes under construction.

[83] In the immediate aftermath of Delta, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards stated that tens of thousands would need help recovering after the storm's destruction.

[87] Delta was the record-setting tenth named storm of the year to make landfall in the continental U.S., surpassing the previous record of nine set in 1916.