03:06
Tropical Storm Alberto set to make landfall in Mexico Thursday morning
Tropical Storm Alberto is set to make landfall in Texas on Thursday morning after impacting Texas with heavy rain, storm surge flooding and high wind gusts.
As of Thursday at 8 a.m. ET, Tropical Storm Alberto made landfall in northeastern Mexico. Continuous coverage of Tropical Storm Alberto has moved here.
Tropical Storm Alberto became the first named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season Wednesday, and as the system churned over the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico, it blasted parts of Texas, Louisiana and Mexico with heavy rainfall, storm surge flooding and gusty winds.
At last report from the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Alberto was a minimal tropical storm with winds mainly around 50 mph. However, its influence stretched hundreds of miles.
Despite the center of circulation being more than 200 miles south of the Rio Grande, widespread coastal flooding was reported along barrier islands and coastal communities from Brownsville, Texas, to Grand Isle, Louisiana.
The FOX Forecast Center said due to the system's lack of organization and a steep pressure gradient, coastal flooding was more significant than what is normally experienced during a low-end tropical storm.
DRONE VIDEO: TROPICAL STORM ALBERTO LEAVES TEXAS BEACH TOWNS UNDERWATER
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San Luis Pass, Texas flooding (Derek Smith / LSM)
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Winds whip through palm trees in Corpus Christi, Texas, during Tropical Storm Alberto on June 19, 2024. ()
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Angry water floods parts of the coast in Corpus Christi, Texas, during Tropical Storm Alberto on June 19, 2024. (Robert Ray)
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Stormy weather in Corpus Christi, Texas as Tropical Storm Alberto swirls in the Gulf of Mexico on June 19, 2024. ()
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Stormy weather in Corpus Christi, Texas as Tropical Storm Alberto swirls in the Gulf of Mexico on June 19, 2024. ()
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Stormy weather in Corpus Christi, Texas as Tropical Storm Alberto swirls in the Gulf of Mexico on June 19, 2024. ()
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Stormy weather in Corpus Christi, Texas as Tropical Storm Alberto swirls in the Gulf of Mexico on June 19, 2024. ()
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Stormy weather in Corpus Christi, Texas as Tropical Storm Alberto swirls in the Gulf of Mexico on June 19, 2024. ()
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Stormy weather in Corpus Christi, Texas as Tropical Storm Alberto swirls in the Gulf of Mexico on June 19, 2024. ()
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Stormy weather in Corpus Christi, Texas as Tropical Storm Alberto swirls in the Gulf of Mexico on June 19, 2024. ()
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Flooding in Galveston Island State Park. (yle O'Haver, Galveston Island State Park Superintendent)
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Surfside Beach Police performed high water rescues. (Surfside Beach Police)
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Tropical Storm Alberto submerged Surfside Beach, Texas. (Surfside Beach Police)
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TxDOT crews removing debris and sand from the Bolivar Peninsula following flooding (TxDOT)
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An angry Corpus Christi Bay is seen in Corpus Christi, Texas, during Tropical Storm Alberto on June 19, 2024. (Robert Ray)
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Storm surge flooding is seen in Corpus Christi, Texas, during Tropical Storm Alberto on June 19, 2024. (Robert Ray)
Seas as high as 16 feet were reported in the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday afternoon, which helped cause water level rises of 3-5 feet along the Texas coastline.
Major flooding was reported in Surfside Beach and the San Louis Pass region, which are south of Galveston.
Photos and video from coastal communities showed streets that were inundated by seawater, especially during high tide.
06:10
Tropical Storm Alberto makes its presence felt in Texas
FOX Weather Correspondent Robert Ray shows the heavy rains, gusty winds and storm surge covering parts of the Corpus Christi waterfront as Tropical Storm Alberto passes to the south in the Gulf of Mexico.
In addition to the coastal flooding, some communities were also placed under Tornado Warnings as the initial bands of rainfall interacted with the land.
There were reports of significant roof damage near Rockport, Texas, on Wednesday evening from a suspected tornado.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a severe weather disaster declaration for 51 counties throughout the state due to the potential of inland and coastal flooding.
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What is the forecast for Tropical Storm Alberto?
The NHC said Tropical Storm Alberto is moving to the west at 13 mph, and that motion is expected to continue through Thursday. On that track, the NHC expects Tropical Storm Alberto to make landfall along the northeastern coast of Mexico on Thursday morning.
Tropical Storm Alberto has maximum sustained winds of 50 mph with some higher gusts. The storm is then expected to begin to weaken rapidly once it moves onshore and will likely dissipate over Mexico later Thursday or Thursday night.
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As of Thursday morning, the Tropical Storm Warning that had been in effect along the Texas coastline has been discontinued.
Tropical Storm Warnings remain in effect for the northeastern coast of Mexico south of the mouth of the Rio Grande River to Tecolutla.
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The forecast rainfall totals in Texas through Friday, June 21, 2024.
(FOX Weather)
The rainfall associated with Tropical Storm Alberto is expected to start diminishing across South Texas during the day on Thursday, with only about 1 inch of additional rain expected.
A few brief tornadoes are also possible in South Texas on Thursday morning as Alberto moves inland over northeastern Mexico.
The heavy rainfall will continue to impact Mexico throughout the day. Rainfall totals there could range from 5-10 inches, with locally higher amounts of up to 20 inches possible across the higher terrain.
"This rainfall will likely produce considerable flash and urban flooding along with new and renewed river flooding," the NHC said.
In addition, mudslides are possible in the higher terrain of northeastern Mexico.
