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Local and state officials are keeping their eyes on Tropical Storm Zeta, which is expected to possibly make landfall as a hurricane later this week.

According to the National Weather Service in New Orleans, Zeta is moving northwest in the northwestern Caribbean. It is expected to pick up in forward speed and strengthen into a hurricane before briefly making landfall across the Yucatan and emerging into the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday.

Zeta is expected to maintain hurricane strength and turn more towards the north and eventual north-northeast, impacting the northern Gulf coast Wednesday into Wednesday night.

If the current forecast holds, at least moderate impacts will be experienced across portions of southeastern Louisiana and southern Mississippi. Heavy rainfall, coastal flooding, and strong to potentially damaging winds could be possible.