Tropical Storm Texas

 Tropical Storm Harold Batters Texas: Latest Updates

Tropical Storm Harold has made its presence felt in Texas, bringing along heavy rainfall and powerful winds. As it advances inland, it is both delivering much-needed moisture to the drought-affected region and raising concerns about tornadoes and flash flooding.

This storm initially made landfall on a barrier island situated off the Texas coast, subsequently progressing at a speed of approximately 21 mph across southern Texas and northern Mexico. The National Hurricane Center has marked this as the first tropical storm of the hurricane season to reach Texas shores. Prior to achieving tropical storm status, it was referred to as "Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine." Its impact could lead to a rainfall of up to 7 inches in South Texas until Wednesday, according to Richard Pasch, a senior meteorologist from the National Hurricane Center. Throughout the afternoon, the potential for a "couple" of tornadoes looms over southern Texas.

AccuWeather has stated that localized regions might witness as much as a foot of rainfall. The precise trajectory of the rain will hinge on the system's organization prior to reaching inland, according to Dan Kottlowski, AccuWeather's lead hurricane forecaster.

On Tuesday, this storm made landfall on Padre Island and was centered approximately 15 miles east of Laredo, Texas, at 4 p.m. local time. With sustained winds of 35 mph, Tropical Storm Harold is moving in a west-northwest direction. Despite its challenging aspects, weather service forecaster William Churchill emphasized that the rain will bring benefits to the drought-affected area. However, he cautioned against the potential for flash flooding arising from excessive rainfall in a short span.

Key Developments:

- Over 12,000 power outages were reported, predominantly concentrated on Padre Island and the Southside, as reported by AEP.

- A tropical storm warning is active from the mouth of Rio Grande to Port O'Connor, situated 150 miles southwest of Houston.

- A tropical storm watch is in place for the region extending from Port O'Connor to Sargent, less than 100 miles northeast of Port O'Connor.

Though Harold is the eighth named storm, it was later determined that another subtropical storm in January should have been given a name.

Most forecasters think the 2023 hurricane season will be busier than usual; an average year sees about 14 named storms and about seven rise to hurricane level. That's probably because of extremely warm ocean water in the Atlantic where storms like to form, forecasters said.

Tornado warnings issued in coastal Texas

The National Weather Service in Corpus Christi issued a slew of tornado warnings in cities and counties along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico and inland until early afternoon as Harold made its way west and northwest.