Tropical Storm Harold makes landfall in Texas after forming in Gulf overnight

Tropical Storm Harold made landfall on Texas’ Padre Island in the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday morning, the National Hurricane Center said. The storm was expected to bring heavy rains and powerful winds to southern Texas and northern Mexico as it moved inland.

The system is hitting the U.S. a day after Hilary drenched parts of California and Nevada. Harold was a tropical depression that strengthened in the Gulf of Mexico overnight and set its sights on Texas, the hurricane center said.

As of 10 a.m. CDT, the storm was located about 35 miles north of Port Mansfield, Texas, and about 50 miles south of Corpus Christi, Texas, according to the hurricane center. It had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph and was heading west-northwest at 21 mph.

A tropical storm warning was up from the mouth of the Rio Grande to Port O’Connor and a tropical storm watch was issued from Port O’Connor to Sargent, Texas.

CBS News weather and climate producer David Parkinson says the area has been in a drought and is “parched.”

The hurricane center said earlier Harold was already starting to bring heavy rains and strong winds to the warning area and would move farther inland as the day wore on.

Tropical-storm-force winds extended outward up to 115 miles from Harold’s center.

The system is expected to produce 3 to 5 inches of rain with up to 7 in some spots through early Wednesday. Scattered instances of flash flooding are possible.