MIAMI – Two record-breaking tropical storms as the first named Atlantic storms from their respective place in the alphabet have prompted alerts and warnings both in the Caribbean and along the southern coast of the continental United States.
Tropical Storm Hanna formed Thursday night in the Gulf of Mexico, about 385 miles east, southeast of Corpus Christi, Texas, according to a National Hurricane Center warning at 10 pm It has maximum sustained winds around 40 mph and was expected to make landfall along the Texas coast on Saturday.
A tropical storm warning for Hanna was in effect from the mouth of the Rio Grande to San Luis Pass, Texas, forecasters said. A tropical storm watch was in effect from St. Louis Pass to High Island, Texas.
Hanna’s formation occurred when Tropical Storm Gonzalo continued to cross the Atlantic about 730 miles east of the South Windward Islands.
Forecasters said Gonzalo had maximum sustained winds of 60 mph. An adviser to the US National Hurricane Center said the storm was heading west at 14 mph. Tropical storm force winds extended up to 25 miles from the center.
The Hurricane Center said those in the Windward Islands should monitor the storm as it is expected to approach the islands late on Friday and Saturday. As some strengthening is forecast, there is still a chance that Gonzalo will become a hurricane, but the storm is expected to weaken as it moves into the Caribbean Sea.
A hurricane alert was issued for Barbados and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. A tropical storm watch is in place for Tobago and Granada.
Tropical Storm Hanna was the eighth named storm in the Atlantic recorded in history, breaking Harvey’s previous record in 2005. When Gonzalo became a named storm on Wednesday, it became the seventh named tropical storm in the Atlantic hurricane season.
The previous record was held by Tropical Storm Gert, which formed on July 24, 2005. So far this year, Christopher, Danielle, Edouard, and Fay also set records for being the first named Atlantic storms of their respective place in the alphabet.
