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Millions of people along the Texas coast continued to keep a weather watch on Thursday morning, as officials warned of dangerous storm surge, torrential rains and possible tornadoes as Tropical Storm Alberto weakened into a low pressure system over northern Mexico.
The first named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season made landfall in Mexico early Thursday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm is about 95 miles west of Tampico and is moving west at 18 mph, according to an NHC alert issued at 10 a.m. CDT.
With sustained winds of nearly 35 mph, the storm is forecast to dump up to 20 inches of rain in parts of northeastern Mexico, with nearly a foot of rain expected across southern Texas. Such high rainfall amounts could cause “significant flash flooding and urban flooding” and landslides across northern Mexico, the NHC said.
Flood watches remain in effect for much of the Gulf Coast, from southern Texas through Louisiana and Alabama, as strong winds could cause flooding in coastal areas.
Alberto is expected to weaken as it moves inland, but could still cause life-threatening weather conditions during the morning and early afternoon.
The storm began inundating South Texas on Wednesday, causing widespread coastal flooding, with Surfside Beach, a city along the Texas Gulf Coast south of Houston, submerged in several feet of water.
Nuevo Leon state Governor Samuel Garcia told local media that the storm also brought heavy rains to Mexico and killed at least three minors, but gave no further details.
People across South Texas are on high alert as a combination of high tides and storm surges could bring coastal flooding of up to 4 feet on Thursday. The deepest waters will hit shore in the Texas coast just north of Mexico, and the storm surge will bring large, dangerous waves, the NHC said.
Life-threatening rough seas and rip currents are the main threat along the Texas Gulf Coast through Friday, and tornado watches have been in effect for several South Texas counties since early Thursday morning.
Flood watches were also issued. The National Weather Service in Corpus Christi said between one and three inches of rain had fallen in several south-central counties by 2 a.m. Thursday, adding that “flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly.”
Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 51 counties and activated three platoons of the Texas National Guard, including more than 40 personnel, 20 vehicles and a Chinook helicopter.
Alberto marks the start of what experts say will be a stormy season. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration administrator Rick Spinrad said last month that the Atlantic hurricane season is shaping up to be “extraordinary,” with “an 85 percent chance of being above normal.”
Tropical Storm Alberto Tracking
Contributors: Reuters, John Bacon and Kirsten Krogh, USA Today
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