Washington, Oct 8 (IANS): After making landfall in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, hurricane Delta was now heading towards the US Gulf Coast, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest update.

According to the update on Wednesday night, a hurricane watch has been issued for areas stretching from High Island, Texas, to Grand Isle, Louisiana, CNN reported.

Also a storm surge watch is in currently effect from High Island to the Alabama-Florida border, the update added.

"Delta strengthening while moving over the south-central Gulf of Mexico," the CNN report quoted the NHC update as saying.

"Life-threatening storm surge and damaging winds increasingly likely along portions of the the northern Gulf Coast beginning Friday."

Although the NHC has predicted that Delta could strengthen into a Category 3 hurricane by Thursday night, cooler water and upper level winds may weaken it to a Category 2 by the time it hits the US coast.

On Wednesday morning, Delta made landfall on the Yucatan Peninsula as a Category 2.

Delta comes after hurricane Laura, which made landfall in Louisiana as a Category 4 storm on August 27.

It claimed the lives of 15 people, left hundreds of thousands without power and destroyed more than 10,000 houses in the state.