Tropical Storm Alberto has formed in the western Gulf of Mexico, and is also the first named storm from the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season.
Alberto is 185 miles (300 kilometers) east of Tampico, Mexico, while has also reached maximum sustained winds of roughly 40mph (65km/h).
The storm has already brought strong winds, extreme rainfall, as well as intense flooding to the coastline of Texas and Mexico, also anticpated to make landfall at northern Mexico.
“The heavy rainfall and the water, as usual, is the biggest story in tropical storms,” explained Michael Brennan, the director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Hurricane Center.
The amount of rain expected in various regions along the Texas coast is within the range of from 5 inches (13 centimeters) to 10 inches (25 centimeters), said Brennan. What’s more, some higher areas in Mexico may even see up to 20 inches (50 centimeters) of rain, that could lead to mudslides and flash flooding, particularly in the states of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, and nuevo Leon.
The Village of Surfside Beach positioned one a barrier island on the Texas coast has already been greatly affected by rain. Mayor Gregg Bisso explains how rainwater has already reached 2 feet high on streets at the west end of the island, preventing anyone from passing.
“We’re on a barrier island and there’s no place for the rain to go, plus the extremely high tides, everything is just hanging right there and it’s flooding all the streets,” Bisso said, while further adding how double red flags have been set on the beach to deter people from entry to the seawater, over the dangers of riptides.
“People underestimate the power of water and they sometimes don’t always take rainfall and the threats that come with it seriously, especially if you are driving in an area and you see water covering the road, you don’t want to drive into it,” Brennan stated. “You don’t know how deep the water is. The road may be washed out. it doesn’t take but just a few inches of water that are moving to move your car.”
Written by Kevin Han
