A tropical storm that formed in the Gulf of Mexico overnight barreled toward South Texas on Tuesday morning, threatening to bring heavy rain and possible flooding to an area that has grappled with unrelenting heat all summer.
Tropical Storm Harold, the latest system to form in what has become a busy Atlantic hurricane season, was about 195 miles east southeast of Port Mansfield, Texas, as of around 1 a.m. CDT (2 a.m. ET), the National Hurricane Center said in an update.
The storm was expected to move inland over South Texas by midday Tuesday, the NHC said.
Harold had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph, with strengthening possible before the storm reaches the Texas coast, the hurricane center said.
The storm was expected to slam South Texas with heavy rain and gusty winds, the National Weather Service said.
Rainfall amounts of 3 to 5 inches with isolated higher amounts of up to 7 inches were expected through early Wednesday, bringing the threat of flash flooding for some areas, the NWS said.
Its Weather Prediction Center issued a Slight Risk of Excessive Rainfall for the region.
The National Weather Service in Corpus Christi said in a situation overview Monday night that the main hazards would be the potential for locally heavy rainfall overnight through Tuesday night, which it warned could produce isolated flash flooding, mainly in urban areas.
It said sustained winds of 40 to 50 mph with gusts of 60 to 70 mph were possible on Tuesday, along with the possibility of “a couple of tornadoes” in the early hours of the day.
“Increasing swells will produce a risk of dangerous rip currents and moderate coastal flooding through late Wednesday,” it further warned.
On Monday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the deployment of state emergency response resources and activated the Texas State Emergency Operations Center to Level 2, or “elevated response conditions,” ahead of Harold’s arrival.
“Texas stands ready to deploy all available resources to South Texas as tropical storm conditions impact the region this week,” said Abbott.
“I encourage Texans to remain weather-aware and heed the guidance of state and local officials and emergency management personnel as they work together to keep communities safe,” he said.
As the storm barrels toward Texas, dangerous heat was also expected to continue to intensify in the state and in the Central Plains, with numerous daily high-temperature records expected, the NWS said.
Harold comes following storms Emily, Franklin and Gert, with Franklin expected to reach the Hispaniola, including Haiti and the Dominican Republic, by Wednesday, according to the NHC.
Meanwhile, in the West, residents faced the threat of flash and urban flooding caused by post-tropical cyclone Hilary.
The system became the first to hit Southern California as a tropical storm for the first time in more than 80 years earlier this week, bringing heavy flooding, mudflows and sinkholes to desert cities and smashing rainfall records.