The first named storm of the hurricane season is hitting Texas and Mexico, threatening the Gulf Coast with severe flooding and high winds.
Tropical Storm Alberto formed in the western Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday morning and is expected to make landfall in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The storm is large, with tropical storm-force winds extending 415 miles from its center.
A tropical storm warning is in effect for the northeast coast of Mexico as well as part of the Texas coast from the mouth of the Rio Grande to San Luis Pass. Strong winds and up to 10 to 15 inches of rain are expected in Corpus Christi.
Governor Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration to 51 Texas counties “to ensure Texans and at-risk regions have the resources and personnel needed to respond to this storm,” he said in a statement.
With maximum sustained winds near 40 miles per hour, the storm is expected to strengthen slightly as it approaches land, then rapidly weaken as its center moves inland.
Alberto was about 305 miles southeast of Brownsville, Texas, traveling about 9 miles per hour, at about 4 p.m. local time, authorities said.
The National Hurricane Center said tornadoes were possible Wednesday in parts of Texas. Up to 10 inches of rain is expected in northeastern Mexico and southern Texas. Some parts of Mexico, including Coahuila, Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas, could see up to 50 centimeters.
The National Weather Service office in Houston said at 4:30 a.m. local time that there were already reports of coastal flooding as the rain moved inland.
“The disturbance is very large, with rainfall, coastal flooding and wind impacts likely occurring far from the center, along the coast of Texas and northeastern Mexico,” the National Hurricane Center said in an update.
We’ve been watching the @SaltwaterRecon live cameras to monitor coastal flooding. The image below is Surfside Beach. There used to be a dune at this location that was eroded. Many reports of coastal flooding this morning. #TXwx pic.twitter.com/egulaqPaEJ
-NWS Houston (@NWSHouston) June 19, 2024
O hurricane center also said By Wednesday morning, life-threatening landslides were likely to occur in higher elevations in northern Mexico, including around the cities of Monterrey and Ciudad Victoria.
The Texas A&M Forest Service has mobilized four teams consisting of 100 people and 24 vehicles, while the Texas National Guard has three platoons of more than 40 people in total, alongside 20 vehicles, including Chinook helicopters.
The weather service told people in affected areas to have five to seven days’ supplies of food, water and other necessities.
The storm warning came as 71 million people were under some type of heat warning on Wednesday, as a severe heat wave is expected to last until Friday.
This article was originally published in NBCNews. with
