Tropical Storm Harold made landfall Tuesday with sustained winds of 50 mph on Padre Island, Texas, but was downgraded to a tropical depression after moving quickly inland at 21 mph, weakening as it moved west-northwest across southern Texas and toward Mexico.
Rainfall amounts across southern Texas will range from 2 to 4 inches with isolated amounts up to 6 inches possible through early Wednesday, which could lead to some instances of flash flooding and isolated tornadoe. Around 1 to 3 feet of storm surge is also possible from the Mouth of the Rio Grande to Sargent, which includes Baffin Bay, Corpus Christi Bay and Matagorda Bay. Mexico is more likely to see flooding from remnants of Harold, with 4 to 6 inches and locally up to 10 inches possible there through Wednesday.
National Hurricane Center forecasters said in an update late on Tuesday that heavy rainfall continues to be expected across wide areas of South Texas through Wednesday. Flash-flooding in parts of Mexico’s Coahuila and northern Nuevo Leon could lead to possible landslides in mountain regions, and parts of south Texas can expect to see as much as 6 inches of rain by Wednesday, while parts of Mexico could get closer to 10 inches of rain. The National Hurricane Center also warned of “life-threatening” surf and tidal conditions along the shore of the Gulf of Mexico.
On a positive note, Harold will bring much-needed rain to a drought-stricken Texas, with the system also bringing a brief reprieve to the excessive heat including for cities like Austin, Corpus Christi and Brownsville.
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