About 485 miles (780 km) south-southeast of Cameron, Louisiana with maximum sustained winds of 100 miles (155 km) per hour, the
Hurricane will move over the central Gulf of
Mexico later on Thursday, the Miami-based weather forecaster said.
The hurricane was projected to move inland on the U.S. Gulf coast by Friday night, the NHC said, warning of life-threatening storm surges along portions of the northern Gulf coast.