- The biggest danger going forward is flooding rainfall.
- Locally heavy rain will spread across South Texas into northeast Mexico.
- That locally heavy rain will linger well after landfall.
- Hurricane force winds are likely along the Texas coast.
- Rough surf and minor coastal flooding are expected along the northern and western Gulf Coast.
Hurricane Hanna is now moving westward across South Texas as a Category 1 Hurricane from its landfall spot on Padre Island, but the potential for dangerous flash flooding extends through the weekend.
Sustained winds peaked at 90 mph before landfall, according to the Hurricane Hunters, but winds are now decreasing. The hurricane’s severe eyewall is moving inland between Corpus Christi and Brownsville. Some areas between Corpus Christi and Brownsville will get a break in the wind and rain as Hanna’s eye continues to move ashore.
Conditions continue to deteriorate in much of South Texas, with increasing rainfall and wind gusts. A 79 mph gust has been reported in Laguna Madre, Texas. A 76 mph gust has been reported in Baffin Bay, Texas, and Harlingen reported a 63 mph gust Saturday evening.
Shingles have been blown off homes in Port Mansfield, Texas, by strong winds. Roofs have been taken off of some boat storage facilities, also near Port Mansfield. More than 7 inches of rainfall has come down so far. Several buoys reported wind gusts of 80-100 mph just offshore late Saturday afternoon.
Current Radar and Satellite
(Watches and warnings are issued by the National Weather Service.)
A sea level rise of more than 6 feet is inundating North Padre Island near Corpus Christi as the eyewall of Hurricane Hanna arrives. A wind gust of 68 mph was recently recorded at the Bob Hall pier in Corpus Christi. A portion of a smaller pier near Corpus Christi was also destroyed by the rough seas.
More than two feet of storm surge near Sargent, Texas has overwashed the dunes, creating waves of debris on Sargent Beach. A storm surge of around 2 feet has also been recorded as far north as Galveston Island.
Tropical-storm-force sustained winds with occasional hurricane-force gusts are occurring on Padre Island.
Current Alerts
A Hurricane Warning has been issued from Port Aransas, Texas, southward to Port Mansfield, Texas. Tropical Storm Warnings now extend northward to Port Aransas, Texas and southward to Barra el Mezquital, Mexico.
A Storm Surge Warning has been issued from Baffin Bay to Sargent, Texas, including Corpus Christi Bay, Copano Bay, Aransas Bay, San Antonio Bay and Matagorda Bay.
The map below shows the latest hurricane and tropical storm warnings issued. A hurricane warning means winds of 74 mph or greater are expected Saturday afternoon. A tropical storm warning means winds of at least 40 mph are expected in the next 36 hours.
Current Watches and Warnings
Hanna is tracking westward across South Texas with a slightly slower pace than yesterday.
Hanna is slowly weakening over mainland deep South Texas. Rapid weakening is expected Saturday night into early Sunday.
Current Information and Projected Path
Hanna is the first hurricane of the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane season, and is roughly two weeks ahead of climatology. The first hurricane of the season generally occurs around August 10.
Hanna rapidly intensified from Friday into Saturday when winds increased from 45 mph to 90 mph.
Thursday night, Hurricane Hunter reconnaissance mission found winds ticked up just enough to upgrade Tropical Depression Eight to Tropical Storm Hanna, the record earliest eighth named storm, beating Tropical Storm Harvey’s record, set in 2005, according to Phil Klotzbach, tropical scientist at Colorado State University. Hanna also formed before the previous record for earliest seventh storm, beating the record set by Gert on July 24, 2005.
(MORE: Why the 2020 Season Pales in Comparison to the 2005 Season)
Forecast Impacts
Heavy Rain Threat
This will be the primary concern with Hanna for much of southern Texas.
NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center has issued a High Risk for flooding rainfall across all of South Texas, noting that “numerous instances of flash flooding are expected across this region.”
Flash flooding in the green areas below could be life-threatening and damaging to structures.
Flash flood watches have been issued for all of South Texas and the Middle Texas Coast.
Conditions will gradually go downhill through Saturday evening in South Texas.
Increasingly heavier rain will arrive along parts of the Texas coast into Saturday afternoon and continue inland Saturday evening as the center moves ashore.
Locally heavy rain will spread well inland in South Texas into parts of northeast Mexico. This locally heavy rain could persist into Sunday, perhaps Monday, particularly in northeast Mexico.
Rainfall totals of over 6 inches are possible in these areas, with locally higher amounts where bands of rain stall for a period of a few hours. A few communities could receive up to 18 inches of rainfall. This could lead to dangerous flash flooding and some river flooding, particularly in the mountainous terrain of Mexico’s Coahuila, Nuevo Leon and northern Tamaulipas states.
Rainfall Forecast
(Heavier totals are possible where bands of rain or clusters of thunderstorms stall for a few hours, which could lead to local flash flooding.
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Winds, Coastal Flooding and Surge
Winds will gradually increase in western South Texas as Hanna moves inland. These winds are capable of some tree damage and sporadic power outages.
A few tornadoes are also possible across south and south-central Texas through early Sunday.
Persistent winds blowing onshore may produce areas of high surf, rip currents and possibly some minor coastal flooding at high tide, particularly along the western Gulf Coast.
Storm surge is expected from the Mexican border north to High Island, Texas, including Corpus Christi Bay, Matagorda Bay, and Galveston Bay.
Water levels may climb as much as this high during high tide through Saturday evening:
Keep this in mind if you’re spending time on the beaches.
(MORE: The Danger of Rip Currents)
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