Tropical Storm Hanna has strengthened and is expected to hit the southern Texas coast as a hurricane on Saturday afternoon or early evening, forecasters said Friday night, all while another tropical storm approached the Caribbean.
A hurricane warning is in effect for Port Mansfield to Mesquite Bay, a span that includes Corpus Christi. A storm surge warning is in effect for Baffin Bay to Sargent. A tropical storm warning is in effect from Barra el Mezquital, Mexico, to Port Mansfield, Texas, and from Mesquite Bay to High Island, Texas.
Forecasters said Hanna could bring 13 to 25 centimeters of rain through Sunday night — with isolated totals of 38 centimeters — in addition to coastal swells that could cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.
Tropical Storm Gonzalo was also the earliest Atlantic named storm for its place in the alphabet. The previous record was held by Tropical Storm Gert, which formed on July 24, 2005. So far this year, Cristobal, Danielle, Edouard and Fay also set records for being the earliest named Atlantic storm for their alphabetic order.
Gonzalo was moving west at 30 kph while its maximum sustained winds weakened to 65 kph, according to the National Hurricane Center’s Friday night update. It was centered about 460 kilometerseast of Trinidad.
Officials said that those in the Windward Islands should monitor the storm as it is expected to approach the islands Saturday. Some strengthening was possible but the storm is expected to weaken as it moves into the Caribbean Sea.
A tropical storm warning has been issued for St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Tobago and Grenada and its dependencies. Forecasters said Gonzalo could bring 3 to 8 centimeters of rain, with isolated totals of 13 centimeters of rain.