Hanna Continues to Get Better Organized; Storm Surge Warnings Issued for the Central Texas Coast

SUMMARY OF 400 PM CDT…2100 UTC…INFORMATION
LOCATION…27.3N 94.3W
ABOUT 195 MI…310 KM E OF CORPUS CHRISTI TEXAS
ABOUT 195 MI…315 KM ENE OF PORT MANSFIELD TEXAS
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS…50 MPH…85 KM/H
PRESENT MOVEMENT…W OR 275 DEGREES AT 10 MPH…17 KM/H
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE…999 MB…29.50 INCHES

WATCHES AND WARNINGS
A Storm Surge Warning is in effect for…
* Baffin Bay to Sargent Texas

A Hurricane Warning is in effect for…
* Baffin Bay to Mesquite Bay Texas

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for…
* Mouth of the Rio Grande to Baffin Bay Texas
* Mesquite Bay to San Luis Pass Texas

DISCUSSION AND OUTLOOK
At 400 PM CDT (2100 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Hanna was located near latitude 27.3 North, longitude 94.3 West. Hanna is moving toward the west near 10 mph (17 km/h), and this motion should continue through Saturday morning. A gradual turn toward the west-southwest is expected Saturday night and that motion should continue through Sunday. On the forecast track, the center of Hanna should make landfall along the Texas coast within the hurricane warning area Saturday afternoon or early evening.

Maximum sustained winds are near 50 mph (85 km/h) with higher gusts. Steady strengthening is forecast for the next 24 hours, and Hanna is expected to become a hurricane before the cyclone makes landfall. Steady to rapid weakening is expected after Hanna moves inland.

Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles (95 km) from the center.

The estimated minimum central pressure is 999 MB (29.50 inches) based on nearby oil rig reports.

HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND
STORM SURGE: The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. The water could reach the following heights above ground somewhere in the indicated areas if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide…

Baffin Bay to Sargent TX…including Corpus Christi Bay, Copano Bay,
Aransas Bay, San Antonio Bay, and Matagorda Bay…2 to 4 ft
Mouth of the Rio Grande to Baffin Bay TX…1 to 3 ft
North of Sargent to High Island TX…including Galveston Bay…1 to 2 ft

The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to the right of the landfall location. Surge-related flooding depends on the relative timing of the surge and the tidal cycle and can vary greatly over short distances.

WIND: Hurricane conditions are expected in the warning area Saturday afternoon. Tropical storm conditions are expected to begin in the warning area tonight or Saturday morning.

RAINFALL: Hanna is expected to produce 5 to 10 inches of rain with isolated maximum totals of 15 inches through Sunday night in south Texas and into the Mexican states of Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and northern Tamaulipas. This rain may result in life-threatening flash flooding, rapid rises on small streams, and isolated minor to moderate river flooding in south Texas.

3 to 5 inches of rain is expected along the upper Texas and Louisiana coasts.

SURF: Swells generated by Hanna are expected to increase and affect much of the Texas and Louisiana coasts during the next few days. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.

TORNADOES: A brief tornado or two will be possible, mainly overnight, across portions of the upper Texas and Louisiana coasts.

Category: ALL POSTS, Severe Weather, Tropical