MIAMI (AP) – Tropical Storm Hanna was upgraded to a hurricane on Saturday, advancing toward the Texas coast and threatening to bring heavy rain, storm surge, and possible tornadoes, all as another tropical storm approaches the Caribbean.
Hanna is the first hurricane of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, the US National Hurricane Center said in its update on Saturday morning. Maximum sustained winds had increased to 75 mph (120 km / h). The storm centered about 160 kilometers (100 miles) east-southeast of Corpus Christi, Texas, and moved west at 15 km / h.
A storm surge warning in effect from Baffin Bay to Sargent was extended south of the bay to Port Mansfield, Texas. Storm surges of up to 5 feet (1.5 meters) were forecast for that area. People were advised to protect life and property from high waters.
Tornadoes were also possible Saturday for parts of the low-to-medium Texas coastal plain, forecasters said. A hurricane warning remained in effect from Port Mansfield to Mesquite Bay, and a tropical storm warning was still in effect from Barra el Mezquital, Mexico, to Port Mansfield, Texas, and from Mesquite Bay to High Island, Texas.
Forecasters said Hanna could bring 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 centimeters) of rain through Sunday night, with an isolated total of 18 inches (46 centimeters), in addition to coastal waves that could cause threatening waves life and rip current conditions.
Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Gonzalo was still on its way to cross the South Windward Islands on Saturday afternoon or evening. Gonzalo was moving westward about 18 mph (30 kph) with maximum sustained winds at 40 mph (65 kph), the National Hurricane Center said Saturday morning.
Gonzalo is forecast to bring 1 to 3 inches (3 to 8 centimeters) of rain, with an isolated total of 5 inches (13 centimeters). A tropical storm warning was in effect for Tobago and Granada and their dependencies. The storm was expected to dissipate on Sunday night or Monday, forecasters said.
Gonzalo and Hanna broke the record for the first named storms in the 7th and 8th Atlantic, respectively, according to Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach. Previous records were Gert on July 24, 2005 and Harvey on August 3, 2005, Klotzbach said.
Christopher, Danielle, Edouard and Fay also set records for being the oldest Atlantic storm in alphabetical order.
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