Tropical Storm Hanna Forms Overnight, Expected to Make Landfall as Hurricane in Texas

A tropical depression in the Gulf of Mexico developed into Tropical Storm Hanna overnight. The [...]

By Daniel S. Levine

A tropical depression in the Gulf of Mexico developed into Tropical Storm Hanna overnight. The storm is expected to strengthen into a hurricane before it makes landfall south of Corpus Christi, Texas Saturday afternoon. Hurricane warnings have been issued for parts of southern Texas, and the storm is forecast to move west into Mexico.

The hurricane warnings were issued for Baffin Bay, north to Mesquite Bay, Texas, reports Weather.com. Storm surge warnings were issued or Baffin Bay to Sargent, including Corpus Christi Bay, Copano Bay, Arkansas Bay, San Antonio Bay, and Matagorda Bay. The hurricane warning means that winds of 75 mph or greater are expected by Saturday afternoon. A tropical storm warning means winds of 40 mph are expected. A storm surge warning means there is a "danger of life-threatening inundation, from rising water moving inland from the coastline, during the next 24 hours in the indicated locations," according to the National Hurricane Center.

The latest advisory from the NHC, issued at 4 p.m. CT, put the storm at about 195 miles east of Corpus Christi and 195 miles east northeast from Port Mansfield. The maximum sustained winds are at 50 mph and it is moving at 10 mph. After the storm is expected to make landfall at the Texas coast, it is forecast to move west-southwest Saturday night through Sunday. Hanna is expected to bring 5 to 10 inches of rain through Sunday night in south Texas. Mexican states Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and northern Tamaulipas could also see 5 to 10 inches of rain. Some parts of the upper Texas and Louisiana coasts could see 3 to 5 inches of rain.

This is the eighth-named storm in the Atlantic and the earliest an "H"-named storm has appeared. The previous record was Hurricane Harvey, which was named on Aug. 3, 2005, according to Colorado State University researcher Phil Klotzbach.

Meanwhile, meteorologists are also monitoring Tropical Storm Gonzalo. Although it weakened on Thursday, the storm could still become the first hurricane of 2020. According to the NHC, Gonzalo is now located about 390 miles east of the Southern Windward Islands and has maximum sustained winds at 40 mph. It is moving west at about 18 mph. Trinidad and Tobago issued a Tropical Storm Warning for the islands of Tobago and Grenada. Tropical storm warnings are also in effect for Barbados and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The storm is forecast to bring 2 to 5 inches of rain, with isolated areas seeing up to 8 inches.

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