Tropical Storm Alberto formed in the Gulf of Mexico, becoming the first named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season.
The storm is bringing heavy rains and coastal flooding to much of the Texas Gulf Coast, but the center of the storm will likely not make landfall in the United States.
Tropical Storm Alberto formed Wednesday morning, just one day before the normal formation date for the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season.
Here’s everything you need to know about Tropical Storm Alberto.
Where is Tropical Storm Alberto?
Tropical Storm Alberto is located in the western Gulf of Mexico, about 295 miles south-southeast of Brownsville, Texas.
What’s the forecast for Tropical Storm Alberto?
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Tropical Storm Alberto is moving westward at nine miles per hour and is expected to continue this motion through Thursday. On this path, the NHC expects Tropical Storm Alberto to reach the northeast coast of Mexico early Thursday morning.
Tropical Storm Alberto has maximum sustained winds of 40 mph and is expected to strengthen slightly on Wednesday or Wednesday night before making landfall.
Once that happens, it is expected to weaken rapidly, with Alberto likely to dissipate over Mexico on Thursday or Thursday night.
What are the effects of Tropical Storm Alberto?
A tropical storm warning has been issued for the Texas coast from Port O’Connor to the mouth of the Rio Grande, and a tropical storm warning has also been issued for parts of the Mexican coast from the mouth of the Rio Grande to Tecolutla.
Flood warnings have been issued for the Gulf Coast from the U.S.-Mexico border to the Mississippi-Alabama border due to the risk of heavy rain combined with high tides and storm surge.
Flood watches are in effect for the entire Texas coastline from Brownsville through Corpus Christi to the Galveston area.
Inland communities are also affected, with flood watches extending as far as Laredo and Zapata.
Coastal flood warnings have also been issued, stretching from the US-Mexico border to the Mississippi-Alabama border.
Coastal flood warnings are in effect from Port Mansfield to Port Lavaca, Galveston and Sabine Pass in Texas.
Coastal Flood Watches extend farther east, including coastal communities in Louisiana and Gulfport and Biloxi in Mississippi.
The combination of high tides and storm surge will cause parts of normally dry coastlines to become inundated by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline, the NHC said.
The map below shows the height that water could reach if the maximum storm surge occurred at high tide.
Tropical Storm Alberto is expected to dump heavy rain on parts of Texas and northern Mexico.
The NHC said rainfall totals of 5 to 10 inches were possible in southern Texas and northeastern Mexico, with some areas potentially reaching 15 inches.
“This rainfall is likely to cause renewed riverine flooding as well as significant flash flooding and urban flooding,” the NHC said.
Additionally, landslides are possible in the highlands of northeastern Mexico.
