The first tropical storm of the hurricane season took aim at Texas on Thursday, threatening the Gulf Coast with severe flooding and high winds.
Tropical Storm Alberto formed over the western Gulf of Mexico, the National Hurricane Center announced Wednesday around 10 a.m., local time.
The storm is expected to bring heavy rains, coastal flooding and gusty winds along the coasts of Texas and northeastern Mexico through Thursday, officials said.
Tropical storm warnings are in place along the Texas coast from the San Luis Pass to the mouth of the Rio Grande, with high winds and as much as 10 to 15 inches of rain expected in Corpus Christi. The state government enacted a large-scale emergency response in anticipation of widespread flooding.
The National Weather Service office in Houston said at 4:30 a.m. local time that there had already been reports of coastal flooding as rain moves inland.
“The disturbance is very large, with rainfall, coastal flooding and wind impacts likely to occur far from the center along the coasts of Texas and northeastern Mexico,” the National Hurricane Center said in an update.
The hurricane center also said early Wednesday that life-threatening mudslides were likely in higher areas of northern Mexico, including around the cities of Monterrey and Ciudad Victoria.
On Tuesday night, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the state Division of Emergency Management to put the Texas State Emergency Operations Center to a readiness of level 2, meaning it began 24-hour operations.
“As we prepare for severe tropical weather, Texas is activating all personnel and resources needed to support Texans and communities that will be potentially impacted by excessive rain and flooding,” he said in a statement.
The Texas A&M Forest Service has mobilized four teams comprising of 100 personnel and 24 vehicles, while the Texas National Guard has three platoons of more than 40 personnel in total, alongside 20 vehicles, including Chinook helicopters.
The weather service told people in the affected areas to have five to seven days’ supplies of food, water and other necessities.
The storm warning came as 71 million people were under some form of heat advisory or warning Wednesday, as a severe heat wave is set to last through Friday.
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