The first named storm of the hurricane season headed toward Mexico’s Gulf Coast on Wednesday, threatening rainfall of up to 20 inches there, as well as flooding and heavy rain in Texas, officials said.
Tropical Storm Alberto formed over the western Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday morning and is expected to reach Mexico’s Gulf Coast early Thursday, the National Hurricane Center said.
The storm is large, with tropical storm force winds extending over 420 miles.
A tropical storm warning is in effect for the northeastern coast of Mexico, as well as the coast of Texas, from the mouth of the Rio Grande to San Luis Pass, near Houston. High winds and as much as 4 to 6 inches of rain are expected in Corpus Christi.
Governor Greg Abbott has issued a disaster declaration for 51 Texas counties “to ensure Texans and at-risk regions have the resources and personnel necessary to respond to this storm,” he said in a statement.
With maximum sustained winds near 60 km per hour, the storm is expected to strengthen slightly as it approaches land, then quickly weaken once the center moves inland.
According to the National Hurricane Center, Alberto’s center was about 150 miles (240 kilometers) east of Tampico, Mexico, and about 200 miles (320 kilometers) southeast of Brownsville, Texas, as of 7 p.m. local time. He was traveling west-southwest at a speed of about 15 km/h.
The National Weather Service said Wednesday that moderate coastal flooding has been observed along the Texas Gulf Coast.
Dustin Leeds and Kristine Martin of Houston were vacationing in Freeport, Texas, and woke up to thigh-high flooding.
Martin woke up around 5:30 a.m. after hearing heavy rain: “I opened the blinds and thought, ‘Huh, the ocean seems closer,'” she joked.
It seemed that the residents were getting on with it. Houses are being built in the area due to the risk of flooding, and many people had secured their cars in advance.
‘Everyone is still in their house. There were two other families in houses around us just hanging out and living their best lives,” Leeds said.
Storm surge of 2 to 4 feet is possible from Sargent, Texas, to Sabine Pass.
The center of the storm is expected to move west into Mexico on Thursday and then weaken, most likely dissipating on Thursday evening, the National Hurricane Center said.
Some parts of Mexico, including Coahuila, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas, could receive up to 50 centimeters of rain, the hurricane center said.
Tornadoes were also possible in parts of Texas on Wednesday, it said. Areas of southern Texas inland from Corpus Christi were under tornado watch Wednesday evening, affecting more than 1 million people.
The Texas A&M Forest Service has mobilized four teams consisting of 100 personnel and 24 vehicles, while the Texas National Guard has three platoons totaling more than 40 personnel, in addition to 20 vehicles, including Chinook helicopters.
The weather service advised people in areas affected by the storm to have food, water and other supplies on hand for five to seven days.
More than 82 million people received some form of heat advisory on Wednesday. The heat wave will certainly last until Friday.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
