First tropical storm warning of the year Season of hurricanes was issued, received early Tuesday as coastal communities in South Texas prepare for the coming heavy rain, flooding and possibly tornadoes. The storm was developing south of the Gulf of Mexico and is expected to make landfall as a potential tropical cyclone, according to the National Hurricane Center.
If the storm becomes strong enough, it will become the first named storm of the season: Tropical Storm Alberto. Forecasters said on Tuesday that the chance of becoming a tropical storm within the next 48 hours was high – about 80%.
A tropical storm warning covers coastal areas of Texas from Port O’Connor to the mouth of the Rio Grande and extends down the Gulf Coast. Rainfall associated with the potential tropical cyclone is expected to affect much of Central America as well.
4 a.m. CDT Tue: Tropical storm warnings have been issued for the Texas coast from Port O’Connor south to the mouth of the Rio Grande. Heavy rainfall and moderate coastal flooding are the biggest concerns. More: https://t.co/tW4KeGdBFb pic.twitter.com/cAAtc9MZJj
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) June 18, 2024
Although a map released by the National Hurricane Center showed the storm system hitting coastal areas after midnight Thursday, meteorologists said the impact was likely to be felt inland much earlier. The latest forecasts showed the system was already packing maximum sustained winds of 40 miles per hour, which is expected to increase in strength over the next 36 hours. Rain and coastal flooding were forecast for the next day or two.
“The disturbance is very large with rainfall, coastal flooding and wind impacts likely away from the center along the coasts of Texas and northeastern Mexico,” the hurricane center said in an advisory Tuesday. Meteorologists said tropical storm-force winds extended 415 miles from the center of the disturbance, which remained “large but unsettled” in the western Gulf as of 1 p.m.
In Texas, the hurricane center said moderate coastal flooding could begin along the coast Tuesday and last through midweek. Conditions were expected to worsen on Wednesday for people in the tropical storm warning area, where flooding and urban flooding could accompany swollen rivers. Floods may also occur in northeastern Mexico.
The National Hurricane Center upgraded its first tropical storm watch of the season to a tropical storm warning at 4 a.m. CT Tuesday. Three hours later, the Mexican government issued a tropical storm warning for parts of the country’s northeast coast, from the mouth of the Rio Grande south to Puerto de Altamira, replacing the tropical storm watch that had been in effect until then. The difference Accounts for the time — Forecasters generally issue a “watch” when tropical storm conditions are possible in the impact area for about 48 hours and a “warning” when conditions become more imminent after about 36 hours.
This week’s potential storm was moving north of the Gulf on Tuesday morning and is expected to turn west and west-northwest inland overnight, before approaching the center of the storm in the western Gulf on Wednesday night. said. Parts of northeastern Mexico and southern Texas could see 5 to 10 inches of rain, though forecasters said some areas could see more severe flooding.
“A combination of dangerous storm surge and high tides will cause normally dry areas near the coastline to be inundated by elevated waters moving inland from the coastline,” the hurricane center said in a Tuesday advisory issued at 7 a.m. CT.
If the storm surge associated with the potential storm surge occurs along with a tidal surge, forecasts suggest that flooding could rise to 4 feet along the Texas and Gulf Coasts of Mexico. The deepest water was forecast for areas immediately offshore near and north of potential landfall, where the storm surge is expected to be accompanied by large and dangerous waves, the hurricane center said. This swell is expected to create life-threatening surf conditions and currents.
annual Atlantic hurricane season Officially beginning on June 1 and continuing through the end of November, most hurricanes typically occur in the months following this window, from mid-August to mid-October. The terms hurricane and tropical cyclone can be used interchangeably The same stormMeteorologists use tropical cyclone as a broad classification to include any weather phenomenon where rotating, low-level cloud systems and thunderstorms develop over tropical or subtropical waters, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
A tropical cyclone is more specifically classified as a tropical storm when its maximum wind speed exceeds 39 mph. When sustained winds reach 74 mph or higher, it becomes a hurricane.
