Hurricane season: The first named tropical storm, Alberto, forms in the Gulf of Mexico

Alberto, which is bringing strong winds, heavy rains and flooding to the coasts of Texas and Mexico, is expected to make landfall in northern Mexico on Thursday.

“Heavy rain and water are, as always, the biggest issue in 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) southeast of Brownsville, Texas. It had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. A tropical storm is defined by sustained winds between 39 and 73 mph (62 and 117 kph), and above that the system becomes a hurricane.

Brennan said winds could increase to 45 mph (72 kph) to 50 mph (80 kph) before landfall.

About 5 inches (13 centimeters) to 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain was expected in some areas along the Texas coast, with a single peak total possible, Brennan said. He said some higher areas in Mexico could see up to 20 inches (50 centimeters) of rain, which could cause mudslides and flooding, especially in the states of Tamaulipas, Coahuila and Nuevo Leon.

At the Miramar Inn hotel in Tampico, Mexico, near where Alberto was expected to make landfall, desk worker Diana Flores said the wind was strong, 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.

Heavy rain lashed parts of the state of Tamaulipas in the northeastern corner of Mexico overnight.

The storm was moving to the west at 9 mph (15 kph). 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 northeast coast of Mexico south of the mouth of the Rio Grande to Tecolutla.

“It is expected to weaken quickly as the center moves inland, and Alberto is likely to disperse over Mexico” on Thursday, the center said.

The US National Weather Service said the biggest threat to the south Texas coast is flooding from heavy rain. On Wednesday, the NWS said, there is a “high chance” of tropical flooding along the south Texas coast. Storms or waterspouts are possible.

NOAA predicts a hurricane season that began June 1 and will continue through Nov. 30 is likely to be above average, with named storms between 17 and 25. The forecast calls for as many as 13 hurricanes and four major hurricanes.

The typical Atlantic hurricane season produces 14 named storms, seven of which are hurricanes and three major hurricanes.

Brennan said the first named system in the Atlantic on average arrives on June 20, so Alberto is “closer to the right time.”

An undisclosed storm in early June dumped more than 20 inches (50 centimeters) of rain on parts of South Florida, stranding many drivers on flooded roads and pushing water into some homes in low-lying areas.

Brennan said there will be dangerous storms and drivers should be aware of road closures and turn around if they see water blocking roads.

“People underestimate the power of water and sometimes they don’t take the rain and the threats associated with it seriously, especially when you drive in an area and see water covering the road and you don’t want to enter it. ,” Brennan said. “You don’t know how deep the water is. The road may be washed away. it only takes a few splashes of water to move your car.”