Tropical Storm Alberto formed in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday, the first named storm of a predicted busy hurricane season.
Alberto, which is bringing strong winds, heavy rainfall and some flooding along the coast of Texas and Mexico, is expected to make landfall in northern Mexico on Thursday.
“As usual, the heavy rains and water are the biggest problem with tropical storms,” said Michael Brennan, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Hurricane Center.
Alberto was located 185 miles (about 300 kilometers) east of Tampico, Mexico and 295 miles (about 480 kilometers) south-southeast of Brownsville, Texas. According to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, it had sustained winds of 40 mph (65 km/h). A tropical storm is defined by sustained winds between 39 and 73 mph (62 and 117 km/h), and above that the system becomes a hurricane.
Brennan said wind speeds could increase to 45 to 50 mph before the storm makes landfall.
Some areas along the Texas coast are expected to receive between 5 and 10 inches of rain, with even more rainfall possible in isolated areas, Brennan said. Some higher elevation areas in Mexico could see up to 20 inches of rain, which could lead to landslides and flash floods, particularly in the states of Tamaulipas, Coahuila and Nuevo Leon.
At the Miramar Inn hotel in Tampico, Mexico, near where Alberto was scheduled to come ashore, Diana Flores, the receptionist, said the wind was gusty but not yet strong, and the rain had not yet started. “There are people in the restaurant and on the beach,” Flores said early Wednesday.
Outer rainbands lashed parts of the state of Tamaulipas in northeastern Mexico overnight.
The storm was moving west at 15 km/h. Tropical storm warnings were in effect from the Texas coast at San Luis Pass south to the mouth of the Rio Grande and from the northeastern coast of Mexico south of the mouth of the Rio Grande to Tecolutla.
“As the center moves inland, rapid weakening is expected, and Alberto is likely to dissipate over Mexico on Thursday,” the center said.
The U.S. National Weather Service said the biggest threat to the southern Texas coast is flooding from excessive rain. On Wednesday, the NWS said there is a “high probability” of flash flooding on the southern Texas coast. Tornadoes or waterspouts are possible.
NOAA predicts that the hurricane season, which began June 1 and runs through November 30, will be well above average, with 17 to 25 named storms. The forecast calls for up to 13 hurricanes and four major hurricanes.
An average Atlantic hurricane season produces 14 named storms, including seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes.
Brennan said the first named system in the Atlantic occurs on average on June 20, so Alberto is “roughly on schedule.”
A No-Name Storm In early June, more than 20 inches of rainfall fell in parts of South Florida, leaving many motorists on flooded roads and causing water to seep into some homes in low-lying areas.
Brennan said the storm will bring dangerous rip currents and drivers should watch for road closures and turn around if they see the roadway under water.
“People underestimate the power of water and sometimes don’t take rain and the dangers it poses seriously. Especially when you’re driving in an area and you see the road is under water, you don’t want to drive in it,” Brennan said. “You don’t know how deep the water is. The road can be under water. It only takes a few inches of water to move your car.”