Tropical storm Alberto, first named forms in Gulf of Mexico in first for 2024 Atlantic hurricane season
Tropical Storm Alberto has formed in the Gulf of Mexico, marking the first named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season.
The storm is bringing heavy rain and coastal flooding to much of the Texas Gulf Coast, even though the center of the storm likely won’t make landfall in the U.S.
Tropical Storm Alberto formed Wednesday morning, just one day before the average date of the first named storm of hurricane season in the Atlantic.
Here’s everything you need to know about Tropical Storm Alberto.
Where is Tropical Storm Alberto?
Tropical Storm Alberto is located in the western Gulf of Mexico about 295 miles south-southeast of Brownsville, Texas.
What is the forecast for Tropical Storm Alberto?
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Tropical Storm Alberto is moving to the west at 9 mph, and that motion is expected to continue through Thursday. On that track, the NHC expects Tropical Storm Alberto to reach the northeastern coast of Mexico early Thursday morning.
Tropical Storm Alberto has maximum sustained winds of 40 mph, and some slight strengthening is expected Wednesday or Wednesday night before the storm makes landfall.
Once it does, rapid weakening is expected, and Alberto will likely dissipate over Mexico on Thursday or Thursday night.
What are the impacts of Tropical Storm Alberto?
A Tropical Storm Warning has been issued for the Texas coast from Port O’Connor to the mouth of the Rio Grande. A Tropical Storm Warning has also been issued for parts of Mexico’s coast from the mouth of the Rio Grande to Tecolutla.
Flood alerts have been issued along the Gulf Coast from the U.S.-Mexico border to the Mississippi-Alabama border due to the threat of heavy rain as well as the combination of storm surge and high tide.
The Flood Watches extend the length of the Texas coastline from Brownsville through Corpus Christi and into the Galveston area.
Inland communities will be impacted as well, and the Flood Watches extend into Laredo and Zapata.
Coastal flood alerts have also been issued and extend from the U.S.-Mexico border to the Mississippi-Alabama border.
Coastal Flood Warnings are in effect from Port Mansfield to Port Lavaca, Galveston and Sabine Pass in Texas.
Coastal Flood Advisories extend farther east and include communities along the Louisiana coast, as well as Gulfport and Biloxi in Mississippi.
The NHC says that the combination of storm surge and high tide will cause areas of the coastline that normally remain dry to be flooded by rising water moving inland from the shoreline.
The map below shows the height water could reach if the peak storm surge occurs at the time of high tide:
Tropical Storm Alberto is expected to dump a lot of rain across portions of Texas and northern Mexico.
The NHC said rainfall totals of 5-10 inches are possible in South Texas and northeastern Mexico, with some locally higher amounts of 15 inches possible.
“This rainfall will likely produce considerable flash and urban flooding along with new and renewed river flooding,” the NHC said.
In addition, mudslides are possible in the higher terrain of northeastern Mexico.
