TAMPICO, Mexico — Tropical Storm Alberto made landfall in northeastern Mexico on Thursday morning as the first named storm of the season, bringing heavy rains that left three people dead but also brought hope to a region suffering from a severe and prolonged drought .
Mexican authorities downplayed the risk posed by Alberto and instead pinned their hopes on his ability to alleviate the arid region’s water needs.
“The speed (of the wind) is not such that we consider this a risk,” Tamaulipas state Secretary of Hydrological Resources Raúl Quiroga Álvarez said during a press conference Wednesday night. Instead, he suggested that people greet Alberto with joy. “This is what we have been doing for eight years throughout Tamaulipas.”
Much of Mexico has suffered a severe drought, with northern Mexico especially hard hit. Quiroga noted that the state’s reservoirs were low and Mexico owed the United States a huge water debt for shared use of the Rio Grande.
“This is a win-win event for Tamaulipas,” he said.
But in the neighboring state of Nuevo León, civil protection authorities reported three deaths linked to Alberto’s rains. They said that a man died in the La Silla River, in the city of Monterrey, the state capital, and that two minors died from electric shocks in the municipality of Allende. Local media reported that the minors were riding bicycles in the rain.
Nuevo Leon Governor Samuel García wrote on his account on social media platform .
On Wednesday night, Alberto was located about 40 miles (64 kilometers) east of Tampico, Mexico, and about 250 miles (402 kilometers) south-southeast of Brownsville, Texas, with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 km/h), according to the US National Hurricane Center. The storm was moving west at 13 miles per hour.
Alberto was also bringing rain and flooding to the Texas coast.
The U.S. National Weather Service said the main danger for the south Texas coast is flooding from excess rain. On Wednesday, the NWS said there is “a high probability” of flash flooding on the south Texas coast. Tornadoes or waterspouts are possible.
Areas along the Texas coast reported some road flooding and dangerous rip currents on Wednesday, and waterspouts were spotted offshore.
In Mexico, residents expressed hope that Alberto would bring rain.
Tampico resident Blanca Coronel Moral ventured to the city’s waterfront on Wednesday to await Alberto’s arrival.
“We need this water that we are receiving now, thank God. Let’s hope we only get water”, said Colonel Moral. “Our lagoon, which gives us drinking water, is completely dry.”
Authorities closed schools for the rest of the week in Tamaulipas as there could be localized flooding.
Between 5 and 10 inches of rain was expected in some areas along the Texas coast, with even higher isolated totals possible, according to the National Hurricane Center. Some higher elevations in Mexico could see up to 50 centimeters of rain, which could result in landslides and flash floods, especially in the states of Tamaulipas, Coahuila and Nuevo Leon.
Alberto was dumping rain showers on both sides of the border, stretching across much of the southern Texas coast and south into the state of Veracruz, Mexico.
Alberto was expected to quickly weaken over land and dissipate on Thursday.
This story originally appeared on Time.com read the full story
