Tropical Storm Alex is on the verge of becoming the first hurricane of the season. As of 4 pm CDT Tuesday Alex was located about 290 miles to the southeast of Brownsville, Texas with top winds of 70 mph.
Alex is moving toward the northwest at 13 mph. This motion should continue with a slow turn toward the west-northwest anticipated Wednesday.
Hurricane warnings are now in effect from Baffin Bay, Texas south to La Cruz, Mexico. A tropical storm warning is in effect north of the hurricane warning from Baffin Bay to Port O’Connor and south of the hurricane warning from La Cruz to Cabo Rojo.
Out ahead of Alex, tropical storm conditions should start in the warning areas by Wednesday morning so finish preparations tonight if possible. Further strengthening is likely as Alex moves over the very warm water in the Bay of Campeche and southwestern Gulf.
Atmospheric conditions also favor strengthening with very little wind shear and excellent outflow due to a large ridge of high pressure over the cyclone.
On its current forecast track Alex should make landfall sometime later Wednesday afternoon or early Wednesday evening, just south of the Rio Grande in northeast Mexico. At that time Alex will be at least a category-1 hurricane.
Increasing south-to-southeast winds along the central and western Gulf coast continue to cause some coastal flooding at high tide.
Wednesday into Thursday morning, expect damaging winds in the warning area. Also, on the north side of Alex’s track, a possible 3-to-5-foot storm surge will be accompanied by high waves.
Alex also poses a major flooding threat. Torrential rains will accompany Alex’s inland journey across northern Mexico and southern Texas. Rainfall totals of 6 to 12 inches are likely mid to late week with localized totals possibly nearing 2 feet.
As Tropical Storm Alex intensifies, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) today urged citizens to closely monitor the storm and to take steps to be as prepared as possible, in advance of severe weather. Alex has become the first named storm of the 2010 Atlantic Hurricane Season.
“FEMA continues to monitor Tropical Storm Alex, and personnel are on the ground working closely with state and local as they prepare for landfall,” said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. “The most important thing for people living in the area to do right now is to ensure their family is prepared and to follow the instructions of state and local officials. For more information and helpful tips, anyone can visit www.Ready.gov.”
Here are some things everyone can do to prepare for the 2010 hurricane season:
- Develop Family Disaster Plans and Keep a Disaster Supply Kit. Just as every community should have a disaster plan, every family should have an emergency supply kit and plan what to do in case of a storm. Pay particular attention to relatives with special needs, small children and pets. Have a family communications plan.
- Make Your Home Disaster Resistant. You can reduce the damage caused by hurricanes by installing hurricane shutters on windows, putting straps and reinforced bracing on roofs, reinforcing garage doors, raising electrical appliances and outlets, installing sewage backflow valves and trimming back dead or weak tree branches from around a home.
- If the storm comes, you can be ready. When a storm is approaching, a battery-operated radio or television is one of the most important tools you can have during any weather emergency. A weather radio that broadcasts National Weather Service warnings and watches 24 hours a day can be particularly useful. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) provides the weather radio network as a public service. Keep extra batteries handy for radios and flashlights.
For more information on Alex go to: www.weather.com.
For more information on what you can do to protect yourself and your family, visit www.Ready.gov and www.fema.gov/hazard/hurricane.
Information can also be found on your smartphone at m.fema.gov.
