Three separate storms — two in the Atlantic Ocean and one in the Pacific — prompted a series of weather warnings and watches on Saturday for some islands in the Caribbean and parts of Texas and Hawaii.
Hanna, a tropical storm that formed on Thursday, became the first hurricane of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, the National Hurricane Center said on Saturday.
The storm was 50 miles east-northeast of Port Mansfield, Texas, and had maximum sustained winds of 80 miles per hour, the center said.
Hanna, moving west at eight m.p.h., was expected to make landfall along the Texas coast on Saturday afternoon or early evening, the center said.
The storm “has a chance to strengthen just a little bit more before it makes landfall,” Dennis Feltgen, a meteorologist and spokesman for the center, said on Saturday morning, adding that the storm was not expected to be upgraded to a Category 2 hurricane.
A storm surge warning went into effect for Port Mansfield to Sargent, Texas, the center said. And a hurricane warning was in effect for Port Mansfield to Mesquite Bay.
Officials expected Hanna to produce as much as 12 inches of rain, with some isolated totals of 18 inches through Sunday night in South Texas and into Mexico. The heavy rain could cause life-threatening flash flooding, rapid rises in small streams and some river flooding.
Lesser rainfall totals were expected along the upper Texas and Louisiana coasts.
Hanna may also spawn tornadoes, the center said, noting they could form over parts of the lower to middle Texas coastal plain.
The National Weather Service in Corpus Christi, on the Gulf Coast, said on Saturday that the area was under a flash flood watch and that five to 10 inches of rain could fall, with 15 inches possible in some places. Around 11 a.m., the Corpus Christi Police Department said it had begun receiving reports of flooding.
On Thursday, Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas placed numerous resources on standby in anticipation of the storm’s arrival. By Friday, he began urging residents in the path of Hanna to heed warnings and guidance from local officials.
Douglas, a storm over the Pacific Ocean, was downgraded on Saturday to a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 100 m.p.h., the center said.
Hurricane watches were in effect for the counties of Oahu, Hawaii and Maui, which includes the islands of Maui, Lanai, Molokai and Kahoolawe, Mr. Feltgen said.
The storm was about 390 miles east of Hilo, Hawaii, the center said. It was moving west-northwest at 18 m.p.h.
“Hurricane conditions are possible over portions of the main Hawaiian islands later Saturday night and right into Monday,” Mr. Feltgen said. “It is going to weaken, but we do expect it to be a hurricane as it goes to the islands.”
Gov. David Ige of Hawaii on Thursday issued a pre-landfall emergency proclamation, which authorized state funds for quick disaster relief.
“We don’t just focus on the wind,” Mr. Feltgen said on Friday about the storm. “You have to look at the water impacts on this thing as well. Very heavy rainfall.” He added, “They could be looking at some flash flooding and tremendously rough surf. This is something residents of the Hawaiian chain need to be paying attention to.”
As of Saturday afternoon, Gonzalo had been downgraded to a tropical depression after becoming a tropical storm on Wednesday, according to the center.
A tropical storm warning for Trinidad and Tobago was discontinued Saturday afternoon.
Gonzalo had maximum sustained winds of about 35 m.p.h., the center said. It was not expected to strengthen on Saturday before reaching the islands and was forecast to weaken and dissipate by Sunday night or Monday, Mr. Feltgen said.
The biggest impact from Gonzalo, Mr. Feltgen said, was going to be rainfall over the Windward Islands in the Caribbean.
The center said Gonzalo would produce two to four inches of rain over Trinidad and Tobago and far northeastern Venezuela.
Hanna is the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.
The first tropical storm was Arthur, which formed off the coast of Florida in May, followed by Bertha, which made landfall near Charleston, S.C., at the end of the month. The systems made 2020 the sixth year in a row that a storm developed before the official start of the season.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted an above normal Atlantic hurricane season, with as many as 19 named storms — of which six to 10 could become hurricanes. Three to six of those could develop into Category 3, 4 or 5 hurricanes, it said.
An average hurricane season produces 12 named storms, with six becoming hurricanes and three of those six developing into major hurricanes.
Marie Fazio contributed reporting.
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