Mexico's Cancun braced for possibly 'catastrophic' Hurricane Delta

People queue to pay for goods at a supermarket, in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Delta, in Cancun, Mexico October 6, 2020. REUTERS/Jorge Delgado

CANCUN, Mexico (Reuters) - Mexicans formed long lines at supermarkets near Cancun on Tuesday to stock up in preparation for a forecast hit overnight from powerful Hurricane Delta, while the resort ordered hotels evacuated on its famed Caribbean shoreline.

The Category 4 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale of intensity was about 215 miles (345 km) east of Cozumel off the Mexican coast, packing maximum sustained winds of 140 miles per hour (220 kph), the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.