Official report upgrades Hurricane Zeta to Cat. 3, making it the strongest to make landfall so late in the season GOES-EAST visible/infrared "sandwich" image of Zeta near landfall on Oct. 28. (Source: NHC) By FOX 8 Staff | May 11, 2021 at 1:13 PM CDT - Updated May 11 at 1:52 PM NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - An official report released on May 11 has upgraded the windspeed of Hurricane Zeta to 115 mph in a small area near the Louisiana coast, upgrading it to a Category 3 storm. The new designation makes Zeta the strongest hurricane to make landfall in the United States so late in the year. After weakening to a tropical storm, Zeta rapidly intensified into a Category 3 hurricane just before landfall in southeastern Louisiana, according to the National Hurricane Center. The hurricane is responsible for five deaths and about $4.4 billion in damage.