JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Hurricane Hunter aircraft flew over Tropical Storm Hanna early Friday and found the storm had strengthened as it moves toward the Texas coastline, threatening to bring heavy rain, rough waters and strong winds, all while another tropical storm continued to approach the Caribbean.
As of 5 pm, the National Hurricane Center said Hanna was located about 195 miles east of Corpus Christi, Texas. It had maximum sustained winds around 50 mph and was moving west at 10 mph.
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Hanna was forecast to make landfall on Saturday. A tropical storm warning was in effect from the mouth of the Rio Grande to San Luis Pass, Texas, and a tropical storm watch was in effect from San Luis Pass to High Island, Texas.
Forecasters increased the expected rainfall totals in its update, stating that Hanna could bring 4 to 8 inches of rain and coastal swells that “are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions,” the advisory stated.
Hanna broke the record as the earliest eighth Atlantic named storm, according to Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach. The previous record was Harvey on Aug. 3, 2005, Klotzbach tweeted.
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Tropical Storm Gonzalo is weakening and may fall apart this weekend after pushing into the Caribbean Sea.
Gonzalo was moving west at 18 mph with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. It was located about 395 miles east of the Southern Windward Islands.
The government of Trinidad and Tobago has issued a Tropical Storm Warning for Tobago and Grenada.
The government of St. Lucia has canceled the Tropical Storm Warning for St. Lucia.
A third system near Africa has a 40% chance of organizing during the next 5 days. This has potential for becoming a tropical storm after the weekend and could be in the vicinity of Puerto Rico by Friday next week. This has a higher track compared to Gonzalo and could be embedded in a more favorable growth environment.