According to forecasters, the first named storm of the hurricane season intensified somewhat late on Wednesday as it approached Mexico’s Gulf Coast, where up to 20 inches of rain might fall, along with flooding and a lot of rain in Texas.
The National Hurricane core states that Tropical Storm Alberto developed over the western Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday morning and that its core is predicted to make landfall on Mexico’s Gulf coast early on Thursday.
With gusts equivalent to a tropical storm reaching 460 miles, the storm is massive.
The National Hurricane Center reported in a 10 p.m. local time update that the storm’s maximum sustained winds had intensified to 50 mph from 40 mph, and it is expected to make landfall in Mexico early on Thursday. Once its center travels onshore, it is then anticipated to diminish quickly.
Alberto’s center was located at 320 miles south-southeast of Brownsville, Texas, and 135 miles east-southeast of Tampico, Mexico. It was going nine miles per hour west.
Both the Texas coast from the mouth of the Rio Grande up to San Luis Pass, which is close to Houston, and the northeastern coast of Mexico are under a tropical storm warning. In Corpus Christi, high gusts and up to 15 inches of rain are predicted.
In a statement, Governor Greg Abbott declared 51 counties in Texas to be in a state of disaster “to ensure Texans and at-risk regions have the resources and personnel needed to respond to this storm.”
10AM CDT June 19: #Alberto forms in the western Gulf of Mexico. Tropical storm conditions are expected today within the warning area. Alberto is a very large system with rainfall, coastal flooding, and wind impacts extending far from the center. For more visit… pic.twitter.com/GuFJfQVx6d
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) June 19, 2024
As the storm moved closer to Mexico, the National Weather Service reported that minor coastal flooding was seen throughout the Texas Gulf Coast.
While on vacation in Freeport, Texas, Dustin Leeds and Kristine Martin, both of Houston, woke up on Wednesday to thigh-high floodwaters.
The locals appeared to be accepting it. Due of the area’s elevated flood risk, several people had already transferred their cars to safer locations.
We’ve been watching the @SaltwaterRecon live cams to monitor the coastal flooding. Image below is Surfside Beach. There used to be a dune at this location that has been eroded. Lots of reports of coastal flooding this morning. #TXwx pic.twitter.com/egulaqPaEJ
— NWS Houston (@NWSHouston) June 19, 2024
From Sargent, Texas, to the Sabine Pass, a storm surge of two to four feet is possible.
According to the weather service, there may also be a few tornadoes in deep South Texas overnight on Wednesday and into Thursday.
Read Also: 15 Inches of Snow Forecast: Winter Storm Alert in Two States
The National Hurricane Center warned that the storm’s center is expected to continue westward into Mexico on Thursday before weakening and probably disappearing by Thursday night.
The hurricane center stated that a maximum of 20 inches of rain might fall in several areas of Mexico, including Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas.
The Texas National Guard has three platoons totaling over forty troops along with twenty vehicles, including Chinook helicopters, while the Texas A&M Forest Service has deployed four teams totaling one hundred personnel and twenty vehicles.
The weather agency recommended that residents in storm-affected areas stock up on food, water, and other essentials for five to seven days.
