Tropical Storm Harold has made landfall in Texas, threatening to bring heavy rains and floods to the Rio Grande Valley.
The storm, one of the biggest to hit the Texas coastline so far this year, is threatening the Lone Star State with 50 mile per hour winds and torrential downpours.
Harold made landfall on Padre Island around 10.00am this morning. It has since been moving slowly along the US-Mexico border at about 21 miles per hour.
As the storm buffeted the coastline, it brought life-threatening rip currents to the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Surf swells are expected to diminish as the storm heads inland.
Some parts of the Rio Grande Valley could experience up to 6 inches of rainfall. Texans should expect heavy rainfall through Wednesday morning which may create urban and flash floods, the National Hurricane Center said.
Parts of the south Texas coast may also experience coastal flooding, officials said.
The National Weather Service also warned of severe flooding and potential landslides in the northern Mexican states of Coahuila and Nueva Leon.
About 24,000 customers in Texas reported power outages as of Tuesday afternoon, according to online tracker Poweroutage.us.
Tornado warnings were also declared across the region.
‘Remain weather-aware and heed guidance from local officials,’ Texas Governor Greg Abbott said in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
The governor also implored Texans to check road conditions before driving during the storm. ‘Turn Around, Don’t Drown,’ he said.
Harold became the first storm to make landfall during the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season. However, the storm comes only days after Tropical Storm Hilary made landfall in Mexico and California, becoming the first storm the hit the Golden State in 84 years.
Hilary was downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone after traveling inland, but not before bringing severe floods to southern California and Nevada.
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