Last night TD No. 8 was upgraded to Tropical Storm Hanna with Maximum sustained winds of 40 mph. Development could continue with Hanna potentially reaching maximum sustained winds around 65 mph before making landfill south of Corpus Christi Saturday afternoon.
With the ultimate track shifting south, our biggest threat in the Greater Houston area will be rainfall that occurs from outer bands as Hanna moves toward the Coast. Today through Sunday, Hanna could produce periods of heavy rains with much of our Region seeing widespread amounts between 1 to 3 inches with isolated amounts of 8+ inches. Based on information from the NWS, these higher amounts should remain to our southwest; however, we will continue to monitor the conditions has the impacts could shift as Hanna approaches and moves onshore. As with any heavy rainfall in the Houston area, the Region could see some street ponding and rises in some of our creek and streams; however, the current forecasts do not call for significant, widespread street or stream flooding.
Tropical Storm Gonzalo
The majority of everyoneb s focus continues to be TS Hanna, but we are all still watching TS Gonzalo that is continuing to move west toward the Caribbean. The NHC shows TS Gonzalo possibly becoming a Category 1 Hurricane as it approaches the Lesser Antilles; however, their forecast continues to show TS Gonzalo losing strength and dissipating as it moves south of the Dominican Republic.
Beyond Gonzalo
There is an additional disturbance off the Coast of Guinea near the Cabo Verde Islands. Currently, the NHC gives this system a 30% chance of moving across the Atlantic and becoming a Tropical System. It is still too early to tell how this system might develop and what impacts it might have on the United States, but we are continuing to watch this system in addition to Hanna and Gonzalo.
The District along with our District Engineer and Operator are continuing to monitor the conditions and changes in the forecast and are prepared to mobilize as needed. We encourage everyone to stay informed by visiting your favorite local weather source, including the National Weather Service, the National Hurricane Center, and West Gulf River Forecast Center. If you have not ready down so, please remember to sign up for Emergency Updates from Fort Bend County.
