Tropical Storm Hanna became 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. The storm centered about 100 miles east-southeast of Corpus Christi, Texas, and was moving west at 9 mph.
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 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 of rain through Sunday night, with an isolated total of 18 inches, in addition to shore waves that could cause dangerous waves and rip current conditions.
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Galveston Island Beach Patrol lifeguard Matthew Herdrich walks along the rock on 39th Street in Galveston, Texas as waves lifted by Tropical Storm Hanna wash over her on Friday, July 24, 2020. South Texas authorities say they are prepared to handle anything. Tropical Storm Hanna challenges. The storm is heading toward them and is expected to make landfall this weekend. (Jennifer Reynolds / The Galveston County Daily News via AP)
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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 with maximum sustained winds at 40 mph, the National Hurricane Center said Saturday morning.
Gonzalo is forecast to bring 1 to 3 inches of rain, with an isolated total of 5 inches. 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.
Satellite view of Hurricane Hana, which was updated from a tropical storm on Saturday
(NOAA)
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.
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Christopher, Danielle, Edouard and Fay also set records for being the oldest Atlantic storm in alphabetical order.
