Harold has fallen to a tropical depression as it continues to pound Texas, causing flash floods and tornado warnings as it heads towards Mexico.

 

 

Harold made landfall as a tropical storm on Padre Island, Texas, just before 10 a.m. CT (11 a.m. ET), with sustained winds of 50 mph and gusts as high as 67 mph, becoming the first storm to make landfall in the United States during the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season.

According to a 5 p.m. ET advisory from the National Hurricane Centre, the storm currently has sustained winds of 30 mph, and all tropical storm advisories along the Texas coast have been lifted.

The storm's centre is roughly 15 miles east of Laredo, Texas, and it is expected to move into northern Mexico during the following several hours.

As Harold moves westward, heavy rain and high gusts will continue to pound parts of southern Texas and Mexico. According to poweroutage.us, the winds had knocked out power to around 20,000 consumers in Texas as of Tuesday evening.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, Harold will be able to drop 3 to 5 inches of rain throughout South Texas, with locally higher amounts closer to 7 inches. 4 to 6 inches of rain are anticipated in Mexico.

The strongest rain will fall tonight in northern Mexico, where up to 10 inches is predicted.

Life-threatening surf and rip currents are expected to persist throughout the southern Texas coast through Tuesday, with a few tornadoes likely. Early Tuesday afternoon, the National Weather Service issued multiple tornado warnings in South Texas.

The storm is heading over southern Texas, which is experiencing one of its hottest and driest summers on record.

According to National Weather Service data, Corpus Christi, Texas, has already gotten more rain in a few hours than it has all summer. From Tuesday morning through the early afternoon, the area and points south received 1 to 2.5 inches of rain.

While the rains from this tropical system may assist to relieve some of the state's drought, some of the worst drought conditions - regions of extreme and exceptional dryness in Central Texas - may miss out on much of the rain.

Texans prepared for Harold's arrival. Texas Governor Greg Abbott activated the Texas National Guard as well as swift water rescue boat teams and other emergency resources. Authorities ordered individuals in the RV Park at Naval Air Station Kingsville to evacuate, while voluntary evacuations were issued at Riviera, Baffin Bay, and Loyola Beach.

Franklin is bracing for possibly fatal floods.

Tropical Storm Franklin is expected to make landfall on Hispaniola on Wednesday, bringing life-threatening floods and mudslides. The storm will also dump a lot of rain on Puerto Rico.

Franklin had sustained gusts of 50 mph as of Tuesday afternoon and was around 230 miles south-southwest of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, over the Caribbean Sea. The storm turned north early Tuesday afternoon and will continue to do so until it makes landfall in Hispaniola on Wednesday.

Franklin will dump heavy rain on Hispaniola from Tuesday to Wednesday, increasing the risk of flash floods and mudslides. Rainfall levels of up to 15 inches are predicted in isolated areas. Up to 6 inches of rain might fall in Puerto Rico through Thursday, but the island will avoid the worst of Hurricane Franklin.

The Atlantic storm season is getting underway. Saturday and Sunday saw the formation of three tropical systems. Harold is the fourth in a row.