TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Hanna has been upgraded to a category 1 hurricane just off the coast of South Texas. Hurricane Hanna organized over the past 24 hours into a well defined tropical system in the Gulf taking better shape on satellite with storms wrapping around the whole storm.
As of the 11 a.m. advisory from the National Hurricane Center, max sustained winds were at 75 mph with even higher gusts.
Hurricane Hanna is moving west at 9 mph and will continue on this track toward Texas through the rest of the morning.
Hannah could get even stronger before making landfall in southern Texas later today. Landfall will occur early this After the center of the storm moves ashore, the winds speeds will rapidly weaken but heavy rain will continue to fall across the area.
Flash flooding is possible with 6-12 inches expected along with isolated amounts of up to 18 inches near the center. Outer rain bands have already begun to move ashore along the eastern Texas coastline.
A few tornadoes are possible across the lower and middle coastal Texas plain today and tonight.
Storm surge will be up to four feet from Port Mansfield to Baffin Bay. Water levels up to five feet are possible from Baffin Bay to Sargent, Texas.
Dangerous bays and ocean conditions are ongoing with life-threatening surf and rip currents continuing through Sunday.
For more information on Hurricane Hanna, visit the National Hurricane Center’s website.
TROPICAL STORM GONZALO
Gonzalo is still holding tropical storm status with max winds of 40 mph. The storm is very far south and will likely not survive moving over the Windward Islands. It is expected dissipate in the eastern Caribbean Sea and not forecast to redevelop at this time.
INVEST 92L
A tropical wave just off the coast of Africa is moving west through the Atlantic. It has a 10% chance of developing in the next two days but a 60% chance of developing over the next five days.
Once the tropical wave gets closer to the Caribbean, the environmental conditions will be more conducive for development and it will likely become our next named storm, the “I” storm, Isaias.
The Tracking the Tropics team will be keeping a close watch on this wave but it is much too soon to tell where the storm will go or what it may develop into.
This is a good reminder that hurricane season is beginning to fire up. The busiest time for storms in August and September.