Florida, Texas, and Louisiana brace for ANOTHER hurricane: Tropical Storm Nate to strengthen as it hits the Gulf Coast on Sunday after lashing Central America and claiming 22 lives

  • United States is bracing for another devastating hurricane as Tropical Storm Nate batters Central America
  • Nate is heading for the US Gulf Coast where it is expected to strike as a Category 1 hurricane late Friday 
  • Storm or hurricane watches have been issued from Louisiana east through Mississippi and Alabama

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Florida, Texas, and Louisiana are bracing for another devastating hurricane as Tropical Storm Nate batters Central America.

At least 22 have died in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Honduras as torrential rains uproot trees, knock out bridges and turn roads into rivers. 

The storm is heading for the US Gulf Coast where it is expected to strike as a Category 1 hurricane on Sunday.

Storm or hurricane watches have been issued from Louisiana east through Mississippi and Alabama, with a state of emergency declared in 29 Florida counties, the US National Hurricane Center said. 

A spokesman added: 'The threat of the impact is increasing, so folks along the northern Gulf Coast should be paying attention to this thing.' 

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Devastation: A man walks by a fallen tree after the passing of Storm Nate on the road to Masaya, Nicaragua

Devastation: A man walks by a fallen tree after the passing of Storm Nate on the road to Masaya, Nicaragua

Damage: A family is isolated in their house due to a flooded river after the passage of the storm Nate, in Rivas, Nicaragua

Damage: A family is isolated in their house due to a flooded river after the passage of the storm Nate, in Rivas, Nicaragua

A man walks amid flood waters after the passing of the Storm Nate in the Iguanal community, in Rivas, Nicaragua as the storm claims 22 lives

A man walks amid flood waters after the passing of the Storm Nate in the Iguanal community, in Rivas, Nicaragua as the storm claims 22 lives

People recover their belongings after flooding caused by heavy rains of Tropical Storm Nate in San Jose, Costa Rica on Thursday

People recover their belongings after flooding caused by heavy rains of Tropical Storm Nate in San Jose, Costa Rica on Thursday

Tropical Storm Nate unleashed intense rainfall across much of Central America on Thursday, killing at least eight people in Costa Rica. Locals near San Jose, Costa Rica, are seen above walking past a washed out road on Thursday

Tropical Storm Nate unleashed intense rainfall across much of Central America on Thursday, killing at least eight people in Costa Rica. Locals near San Jose, Costa Rica, are seen above walking past a washed out road on Thursday

Nate is expected to strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane by the time it makes landfall on the US Gulf Coast on Saturday

Nate is expected to strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane by the time it makes landfall on the US Gulf Coast on Saturday

Department of Homeland Security personnel deliver supplies to Santa Ana community residents in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Guayama, Puerto Rico on Thursday

Department of Homeland Security personnel deliver supplies to Santa Ana community residents in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Guayama, Puerto Rico on Thursday

Even before the storm hit on September 20, Puerto Rico was in dire condition thanks to a decade-long economic recession that had left its infrastructure in a sorry state

Even before the storm hit on September 20, Puerto Rico was in dire condition thanks to a decade-long economic recession that had left its infrastructure in a sorry state

As of Wednesday, half of Puerto Ricans had access to drinking water and 5 percent of the island had electricity

As of Wednesday, half of Puerto Ricans had access to drinking water and 5 percent of the island had electricity

Nearly three dozen people have died in Puerto Rico as a result of the storm, though experts expect that number to rise

Nearly three dozen people have died in Puerto Rico as a result of the storm, though experts expect that number to rise

A Homeland Security Special Agent delivers water to Santa Ana resident Carmelo Diaz Morales

A Homeland Security Special Agent delivers water to Santa Ana resident Carmelo Diaz Morales

In Nicaragua, at least 11 people died, seven others were reported missing and thousands had to evacuate homes because of flooding, said the country's vice president Rosario Murillo.

Emergency officials in Costa Rica reported that at least eight people were killed due to the lashing rain, including two children. Another 17 people were missing, while more than 7,000 had to take refuge from Nate in shelters.

Two youths also drowned in Honduras due to the sudden swell in a river, while a man was killed in a mud slide in El Salvador and another person was missing.

'Sometimes we think we think we can cross a river and the hardest thing to understand is that we must wait,' Nicaragua's Murillo told state radio, warning people to avoid dangerous waters. 'It's better to be late than not to get there at all.'

Costa Rica's government declared a state of emergency, closing schools and all other non-essential services.

Highways in the country were closed due to mudslides and power outages were also reported in parts of country, where authorities deployed more than 3,500 police. 

Evacuation: People stay at an improvised shelter in the Iguanal community, in Rivas, Nicaragua after the storm battered their homes

Evacuation: People stay at an improvised shelter in the Iguanal community, in Rivas, Nicaragua after the storm battered their homes

A woman takes care of her son at an improvised shelter after the storm Nate in Nicaragua where Storm Nate struck

A woman takes care of her son at an improvised shelter after the storm Nate in Nicaragua where Storm Nate struck

A resident looks at damage caused by heavy rains of Tropical Storm Nate on Masachapa river in outskirts of Managua, Nicaragua

A resident looks at damage caused by heavy rains of Tropical Storm Nate on Masachapa river in outskirts of Managua, Nicaragua

People wait on a road surround by flood waters after the passing of the Storm Nate in the Iguanal community, in Rivas, Nicaragua

People wait on a road surround by flood waters after the passing of the Storm Nate in the Iguanal community, in Rivas, Nicaragua

A resident walks on the shore of the Masachapa river, flooded by heavy rains by Tropical Storm Nate in the outskirts of Managua, Nicaragua

A resident walks on the shore of the Masachapa river, flooded by heavy rains by Tropical Storm Nate in the outskirts of Managua, Nicaragua

Surging waters: People look at the Tiribi river flooded after heavy rains by Tropical Storm Nate in San Jose, Costa Rica

Surging waters: People look at the Tiribi river flooded after heavy rains by Tropical Storm Nate in San Jose, Costa Rica

Familes are evacuated due to the danger of a mudslide during heavy rains by Tropical Storm Nate in Alajuelita, Costa Rica

Familes are evacuated due to the danger of a mudslide during heavy rains by Tropical Storm Nate in Alajuelita, Costa Rica

Workers clear rubble from a road following the passage of Tropical Storm Nate in the city of El Crucero, Costa Rica

Workers clear rubble from a road following the passage of Tropical Storm Nate in the city of El Crucero, Costa Rica

A man recovers some zinc sheets after a mudslide damaged their homes during heavy rains by Tropical Storm Nate in San Jose, Costa Rica

A man recovers some zinc sheets after a mudslide damaged their homes during heavy rains by Tropical Storm Nate in San Jose, Costa Rica

In Costa Rica people have had to abandon their homes because of flooding and the risk of unstable ground giving way, the director of the National Emergency Commission, Ivan Brenes, said.

At least 18 main roads were closed and another dozen were only partially open. In Costa Rica's northwest Guanacaste region popular with tourists many roads were so flooded as to be impassable to all but four-wheel-drive vehicles and horses. 

An alert was also issued for people to be wary of crocodiles that might be roaming after rivers and estuaries flooded.

Concerned football officials were monitoring the situation and postponed a World Cup qualifying match between Costa Rica and Honduras from Friday to Saturday.

Costa Rica's main international airport was open, but with multiple flight cancellations and delays.

The annual rainy season is currently underway in Central America, a five-month period typically ending in November in which the risk of flooding and mudslides rise.

This year's has been intense, with some areas in the region getting up to 50 percent more rain than average for September and October.

The United States is recovering from two major hurricanes: Hurricane Harvey that tore through Texas in August, and Hurricane Irma in September.

Another powerful storm, Hurricane Maria, ripped through the Caribbean in late September, wreaking destruction on several islands, including Dominica and Puerto Rico. 

At about 2pm EDT on Thursday Nate was about 50 miles northwest of Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua, and about 50 miles south-southwest of Puerto Lempira, Honduras, moving northwest at a speed of 9 mph, the NHC said

At about 2pm EDT on Thursday Nate was about 50 miles northwest of Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua, and about 50 miles south-southwest of Puerto Lempira, Honduras, moving northwest at a speed of 9 mph, the NHC said

Nate, which had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph, was expected to move across northeastern Nicaragua and eastern Honduras on Thursday and enter the northwestern Caribbean Sea Thursday night

Nate, which had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph, was expected to move across northeastern Nicaragua and eastern Honduras on Thursday and enter the northwestern Caribbean Sea Thursday night

Nate will dump 15 to 20 inches of rain over Nicaragua, and both Costa Rica and Panama were to get 5 to 10 inches of rain and 20 inches in some isolated areas, the NHC said

Nate will dump 15 to 20 inches of rain over Nicaragua, and both Costa Rica and Panama were to get 5 to 10 inches of rain and 20 inches in some isolated areas, the NHC said

The storm will be 'near hurricane intensity' when it approaches the Yucatan Peninsula late on Friday, the NHC said

The storm will be 'near hurricane intensity' when it approaches the Yucatan Peninsula late on Friday, the NHC said

Gulf of Mexico oil production halts as storm comes

Oil markets were cautious on Friday as traders monitored a tropical storm heading for the Gulf of Mexico and as China remained closed for a week-long public holiday. 

The Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, one of the most important fuel handling facilities in the Gulf of Mexico, said on Friday that it had suspended vessel offloading operations.

Storm Nate, which the U.S. National Hurricane Center said could intensify into a hurricane, is off the coast of Nicaragua, heading into a region of the Gulf populated by offshore oil platforms that pump more than 1.6 million barrels of crude per day (bpd), or about 17 percent of U.S. output.

BP and Chevron were shutting production at all Gulf platforms, while Royal Dutch Shell and Anadarko Petroleum suspended some Gulf activity. Exxon Mobil, Statoil and other producers have withdrawn personnel from their platforms.

Phillips 66 on Thursday night was shutting its 247,000 bpd Alliance refinery in Louisiana.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was trading at $50.63 per barrel at 0950 GMT, down 16 cents from its last close. Brent crude was down 12 cents at $56.88 a barrel.

Activity was subdued due to the Golden Week holiday in China and because traders were monitoring tropical storm Nate, which has triggered U.S. Gulf production and refinery closures just weeks after several hurricanes pummelled the region.

Traders said they were closing positions ahead of the expected arrival of the storm as they did not want to be caught with open trades over the weekend. 

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