(Source: NOAA)
HOUSTON – Southeast Texas is facing a heightened threat of tropical weather later this week, as a developing system in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico is projected to march toward the Texas coast.
Tropical Depression 2
The National Hurricane Center has initiated advisories on Tropical Depression Two. While early watches are confined to the Florida Panhandle, the latest modeling indicates a sharp shift in the storm’s track that will bring it toward southeast Texas by Thursday or Friday.
Timeline:
The depression is forecast to strengthen into a tropical storm over the next few days as it meanders through the northeastern and north-central Gulf. If it achieves tropical storm status, it will be named Tropical Storm Bertha.
While the storm will move slowly through the eastern Gulf through midweek, meteorologists expect a critical steering shift by late Tuesday into Wednesday, when the system is projected to turn sharply to the west.
According to weather officials, tropical storm-force winds could arrive in Texas coastal waters as early as Wednesday evening. Rain and thunderstorm chances will increase substantially across Southeast Texas on Thursday and Friday.
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Forecasters emphasize that uncertainty regarding the storm’s exact track and final intensity remains higher than normal. To pin down the threat, Hurricane Hunter aircraft are flying into the system to gather critical atmospheric data. Officials state these observations will provide a clearer picture of the potential wind, storm surge, and severe weather threats facing Texas.
Even ahead of the rain, the system is driving a high probability of dangerous rip currents across the Gulf.
State and local emergency management agencies are advising residents along the upper Texas coast to closely monitor the storm’s progress at hurricanes.gov as new data arrives from reconnaissance flights.
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