Heavy downpours and possible coastal flooding are forecast for the next few days in the Houston area as Hurricane Alex churns in the Gulf of Mexico and then slams ashore along the northern Mexican coast south of Brownsville.
The rain and flooding lessen later this week as Alex moves inland across north Mexico and through the weekend.
Currently a Category 1 hurricane packing winds up to 80 mph, the storm may strengthen to become a Category 2, which would have winds between 96-110 mph, just before smashing ashore sometime early Thursday.
The storm is swirling above warm waters in the southern Gulf just off the coast of Mexico and moving west-northwest at about 7 mph this morning.
The storm has prompted officials to issue a hurricane warning in South Texas from Baffin Bay to the mouth of the Rio Grande. The warning extends south in Mexico from the river’s mouth to La Cruz.
A tropical storm warning is in place from Baffin Bay to Port O’Connor, where heavy rain and high winds are expected.
In terms of wind speed and storm surge, Alex isn’t as strong as some other storms. But it is large, and as SciGuy reminds us, the fact that we’re seeing a hurricane this early in the season is worrying. Hopefully, this one will pass by without too much damage, and it will be a good long time before the next one comes our way.