Tropical Storm Hanna brings rain, flooding as it leaves Texas; Hawaii braces for Hurricane Douglas

Tropical Storm Hanna continued to weaken as it pushed inland Sunday, but left rain, flooding and reports of damage as the storm crossed past southern Texas and entered Mexico.

The National Hurricane Center said in its 1 p.m. CDT advisory that Hanna’s eye was hovering over northeast Mexico, about 10 miles north of Monterrey.

The storm was moving west-southwest at nine miles per hour. That trajectory is expected to continue into Monday.Maximum sustained winds decreased to around 40 miles per hour, with stronger gusts occasionally lashing the region.

“Rapid weakening is expected as the center of Hanna moves farther inland, and the cyclone is expected to weaken to a tropical depression later today and dissipate Monday or Monday night,” the National Hurricane Center said Sunday morning.

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Hanna has pelted the area with widespread flooding and damage and even though the eye has moved further inland, more rain and wind is expected to trail the storm.

The NHC said Hanna was expected to produce total rain accumulations of between 6 to 12 inches, with isolated maximum amounts of 18 inches through Monday.

Liz Sommerville, a senior forecaster for the National Weather Service, said there is a chance for severe thunderstorms all day Sunday with a chance for strong winds, heavy rain and low-line, coastal flooding in the region.

“Tropical Storm Hanna is starting to push west but we are still in a lot of the rain, stronger winds in the southern areas of Nueces, Jim Wells and Duval and a good chance for flash flooding,” Sommerville said. 

Coastal flooding will be especially evident in the northern and southern parts of Port Aransas on Sunday, Sommerville said. Flooding could reach up to 2 to 3 feet.

American Electric Power Texas reported that as of 6 a.m. local time, 194,400 customers in the Corpus Christi, Laredo and Rio Grande Valley regions were without power, down from a peak of 197,630.

Hanna made landfall at 5 p.m. Saturday at Padre Island as a Category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 90 mph. As of 1 a.m. CDT Sunday, Hanna had weakened into a Tropical Storm.

Hurricane Douglas

Bringing maximum sustained winds of 90 miles per hour, Hurricane Douglas swirled about 90 miles east of Kahului, Hawaii and around 185 miles east of Honolulu, the NHC said.

As part of its 8 a.m. HST update, the NHC also indicated that Douglas was moving west-northwest at around 16 mph. That track is expected to continue over the next couple of days. 

“Douglas will pass dangerously close to, or over, the islands today, bringing a triple threat of hazards, including, but not limited to, damaging winds, flooding rainfall and dangerously high surf,” the NHC said on Sunday.

The NHC said that “gradual weakening” is expected over the next two days, but that Douglas is expected to remain a hurricane as it passes Hawaii.

Douglas is projected to generate between 5 to 10 inches of total rain accumulations from Maui County, westward to Kauai County. The NHC also warned that up to 15 inches of rain was possible in elevated terrain.

Contributing: Meagan Falcon, Corpus Christi Caller Times

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