The power of the first hurricane of the 2020 Atlantic season could be seen from space when the storm made landfall on Saturday, bringing with it a flood threat to southeast Texas for the rest of the weekend.
Hanna, now a tropical storm, made landfall twice as a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph along the Texas Gulf Coast, first roaring ashore around 5 p.m., about 15 miles west. north of Port Mansfield. The second landing took place in Kenedy County.
The hurricane was “just shy” about Category 2 strength and prompted Texas Governor Greg Abbott to issue a Declaration of Disaster.
HURRICANE HANNA WEAKENS TO TROPICAL STORM AFTER CAUSING THE COLLAPSE
The National Weather Service (NWS) in Corpus Christi shared a “fascinating” video showing Hanna’s eye visible from space when it touched down.
Video from a satellite compresses just over an hour of images into four seconds, from 4:21 pm to 5:31 pm, according to the NWS. The video is then repeated to show that the storm’s focus slowed.
Astronaut Doug Hurley also tweeted a photo showing Hanna’s eye from space on Saturday when the storm touched down.
Hurricane Hanna’s eye can be seen in the image from space on Saturday.
(Colonel Doug Hurley)
Last week’s images of astronaut Chris Cassidy showed Hanna organizing over the Gulf of Mexico.
The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami said Sunday morning that Hanna is accumulating maximum sustained winds of 50 mph as it produces heavy rains and dangerous flash floods in the extreme southeast of Texas and the Northeast Mexico, moving 9 mph west-southwest approximately 55 miles west of McAllen, Texas.
Fox News chief meteorologist Rick Reichmuth said Sunday in the “Fox & Friends Weekend” that the system is still bringing in some “fairly significant rainfall” across the area.
“We have a lot of concerns about the floods that still exist; the rain continues to fall throughout South Texas,” he said.
RICK REICHMUTH: THE FLOODING OF SOUTH TEXAS WILL BE HURRICANE HANNA’S “BIGGEST STORY”
Forecasters said Hanna could bring 6 to 12 inches of rain, with isolated maximum amounts of 18 inches through Monday in South Texas and neighboring places in Northeast Mexico.
“This rain will produce life-threatening flash floods, rapid increases in small streams, and isolated flooding of minor to moderate rivers,” the NHC said.
Boat owners examine the damage after the docks at the marina where their boats had been secured were destroyed when Hurricane Hanna touched down on Saturday, July 25, 2020, in Corpus Christi, Texas.
(AP Photo / Eric Gay)
Some areas of South Texas have already reported receiving up to 9 inches of rain, including Cameron County, which borders Mexico and is where Brownsville is located.
“It’s been all day,” Melissa Elizardi, a spokeswoman for Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño, told The Associated Press.
Jame Rowles examines the damage after the docks at the marina where her ship was insured were destroyed when Hurricane Hanna touched down on Saturday, July 25, 2020, in Corpus Christi, Texas.
(AP Photo / Eric Gay)
According to AEP Texas, more than 43,700 people across South Texas, including Corpus Christi, Harlingen and Brownsville, were without power Saturday night.
In a tweet, President Trump said his administration was monitoring Hanna, along with Hurricane Douglas, which was heading toward Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean.
CLICK HERE TO GET MORE CLIMATE COVERAGE FROM FOX NEWS
The United States Coast Guard was called to help rescue a couple on a sailboat sailing Saturday night in a port near Corpus Christi, spokeswoman Paige Hause said. An aquatic rescue team helped the couple return to land without injury.
Jame Rowles examines the damage after the docks at the marina where her ship was insured were destroyed when Hurricane Hanna touched down on Saturday, July 25, 2020, in Corpus Christi, Texas.
(AP Photo / Eric Gay)
Texas officials have incorporated guidelines for social distancing and wearing masks in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
Abbott said Saturday that shelters would be made in hotel rooms so that people could separate.
Boat owners examine the damage after the docks at the marina where their boats had been secured were destroyed when Hurricane Hanna touched down on Saturday, July 25, 2020, in Corpus Christi, Texas.
(AP Photo / Eric Gay)
“We cannot allow this hurricane to trigger a more catastrophically deadly event by fueling the further spread of COVID-19 that could lead to deaths,” said Abbott.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP
In neighboring Mexico, Tamaulipas officials disinfected the shelters to try to prevent the spread of COVID-19, state governor Francisco Cabeza de Vaca tweeted. Meanwhile, the civil protection department was sending rescue boats and other equipment to northern Nuevo León because heavy rains were expected.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
