TAMPA, Fla. — Showers and thunderstorms continue over the Gulf of Mexico with moisture spreading over Florida from Sunday into next week. There is a high chance again of tropical development of a low pressure area in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico early next week.
A cold front will be moving southward toward the northern Gulf coast at about the same time. If the low forming can remain separated from the front, it could develop into a tropical or subtropical storm and move to the west-coast of Florida Tuesday or Wednesday. Computer models have been going back and forth on development, but more models are showing a tropical system.
Regardless of development, heavy rain will be a threat around the Florida Peninsula from Sunday into Wednesday. Models keep shifting the heavy rain threat area from along the I-4 corridor to south of it and over more of South Florida. The location of the swath of heavy rain should become more evident toward the end of the weekend into next week. With the ground saturated from a rainy summer, additional downpours would quickly cause flooding concerns.
With clean-up efforts and debris removal still very much underway along our coast, the impacts of heavy rain, wind, and storm surge would be higher. We will continue to closely monitor the latest trends throughout the weekend and update you on any changes and keep checking in for any watches or warnings.
ORLANDO, Fla. — As Central Florida wakes up, many are discovering what their community looks like after Helene as rescue teams pour over the state to help those in need.
At a Hilton in Orlando, the search and rescue command center is set up responding to calls throughout the state of Florida.
There are roughly 14,000 responders jumping into action throughout the state, which includes all four Florida teams and six teams from out-of-state.
Usually, this command center is in Tallahassee, but since the storm was projected to hit that area, they moved to Orlando.
“This was a fallback position, in the event that they needed to utilize it. It was safe enough inland to make sure that we can keep operations moving without having to stop to have to move to another location,” said Operations Section Chief Bill Fucci.
Search and rescue teams are focusing on the West Coast of the state and the Big Bend area as these are the areas where they are seeing mostly water-related incidents happening.
Many of these men and women have been working throughout the night and are continuing to work throughout the day. They said they are expecting an uptick as the day progresses.
CITRUS COUNTY, Fla. — In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene’s rains and flooding, emergency officials performed several water rescues in Crystal River.
Flood waters rose extremely fast just after midnight, going from a couple of inches to about 3 feet in roughly 15 minutes on U.S. Highway 19.
Dozens of calls for rescues were received and crews have been out in the early morning hours. The Citrus County Sheriff’s Office said crews have made 85 rescues so far.
No injuries have been reported.
According to the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office, this is the highest level of water Crystal River has seen in more than 100 years.
And that includes Hurricane Idalia, which saw flooding more than 7 feet in some areas.
Other water rescues were performed in parts of Pasco County and in Tampa.
Another rescue in Crystal River. This time a mom, her baby girl, and their puppy. The sheriff says on US-19 the water went from just inches to almost 3 feet in just 15 mins @BN9 pic.twitter.com/dVs4WzGtEy
Rescues are happening all throughout Crystal River this morning.
Crews with an airboat just rescued this family from their home off US-19. The sheriff says the 911 calls are coming in @BN9 pic.twitter.com/91d2MvUN8N
Hurricane Helene has weakened to a Tropical Storm over Georgia with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph (110 kph), the National Hurricane Center said.
Helene continues to weaken while moving further inland over Georgia. The storm was about 40 miles (65 kilometers) east of Macon and about 100 miles (165 kilometers) southeast of Atlanta, moving north at 30 mph (48 kph) at 5 a.m., the center in Miami reported.
The storm made landfall in northwestern Florida as a Category 4 storm as forecasters warned the enormous system could create a “nightmare” storm surge and bring dangerous winds and rain across much of the southeastern U.S. There were at least three storm-related deaths.
The hurricane center said Helene roared ashore around 11:10 p.m. Thursday near the mouth of the Aucilla River in the Big Bend area of Florida’s Gulf Coast. It had maximum sustained winds estimated at 140 mph (225 kph). That location was only about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northwest of where Hurricane Idalia came ashore last year at nearly the same ferocity and caused widespread damage.
Helene prompted hurricane and flash flood warnings extending far beyond the coast up into northern Georgia and western North Carolina. More than 1.2 million homes and businesses were without power in Florida, more than 190,000 in Georgia and more than 30,000 in the Carolinas, according to the tracking site poweroutage.us. The governors of those states and Alabama and Virginia all declared emergencies.
One person was killed in Florida when a sign fell on their car and two people were reported killed in a possible tornado in south Georgia as the storm approached.
“When Floridians wake up tomorrow morning, we’re going to be waking up to a state where very likely there’s been additional loss of life and certainly there’s going to be loss of property,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a news conference Thursday night.
Helene was moving rapidly inland after making landfall, with the center of the storm set to race from southern to northern Georgia through early Friday morning. The risk of tornadoes also would continue overnight and into the morning across north and central Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and southern North Carolina, forecasters said. Later Friday, there would be the risk of tornadoes in Virginia.
“Helene continues to produce catastrophic winds that are now pushing into southern Georgia,” the hurricane center said in an update at 1 a.m. Friday. “Persons should not leave their shelters and remain in place through the passage of these life-threatening conditions.”
Florida is facing dangerous extreme weather as Hurricane Helene approaches the coast.
The hurricane’s eye passed near Valdosta, Georgia, as the storm churned rapidly north into Georgia Thursday night. The National Hurricane Center issued an extreme wind warning for the area, meaning possible hurricane-force winds exceeding 115 mph (185 kph).
At a hotel in the city of 55,000 near the Florida line, dozens of people huddled in the darkened lobby after midnight Friday as winds whistled and howled outside. Electricity was out, with hall emergency lights, flashlights and cellphones providing the only illumination. Water dripped from light fixtures in the lobby dining area and roof debris fell to the ground outside.
Fermin Herrera, 20, his wife and their 2-month-old daughter left their room on the top floor of the hotel, where they took shelter because they were concerned about trees falling on their Valdosta home.
“We heard some rumbling,” said Herrera, cradling the sleeping baby in a downstairs hallway. “We didn’t see anything at first. After a while the intensity picked up. It looked like a gutter that was banging against our window. So we made a decision to leave.”
Helene is the third storm to strike the city in just over a year. Tropical Storm Debby blacked out power to thousands in August, while Hurricane Idalia damaged an estimated 1,000 homes in Valdosta and surrounding Lowndes County a year ago.
“I feel like a lot of us know what to do now,” Herrera said. “We’ve seen some storms and grown some thicker skins.”
Even before landfall, the storm’s wrath was felt widely, with sustained tropical storm-force winds and hurricane-force gusts along Florida’s west coast. Water lapped over a road in Siesta Key near Sarasota and covered some intersections in St. Pete Beach. Lumber and other debris from a fire in Cedar Key a week ago crashed ashore in the rising water.
Beyond Florida, up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain had fallen in the North Carolina mountains, with up to 14 inches (36 centimeters) more possible before the deluge ends, setting the stage for flooding that forecasters warned could be worse than anything seen in the past century.
Heavy rains began falling and winds were picking up earlier Thursday in Valdosta, Georgia, near the Florida state line. The weather service said more than a dozen Georgia counties could see hurricane-force winds exceeding 110 mph (177 kph).
In south Georgia, two people were killed when a possible tornado struck a mobile home on Thursday night, Wheeler County Sheriff Randy Rigdon told WMAZ-TV. Wheeler County is about 70 miles (113 kilometers) southeast of Macon.
The storm made landfall in the sparsely-populated Big Bend area, home to fishing villages and vacation hideaways where Florida’s Panhandle and peninsula meet.
“Please write your name, birthday, and important information on your arm or leg in a PERMANENT MARKER so that you can be identified and family notified,” the sheriff’s office in mostly rural Taylor County warned those who chose not to evacuate in a Facebook post, the dire advice similar to what other officials have dolled out during past hurricanes.
Still, Philip Tooke, a commercial fisherman who took over the business his father founded near the region’s Apalachee Bay, planned to ride out this storm like he did during Hurricane Michael and the others: on his boat. “If I lose that, I don’t have anything,” Tooke said.
Michael, a Category 5 storm, all but destroyed one town, fractured thousands of homes and businesses and caused some $25 billion in damage when it struck the Florida Panhandle in 2018.
Many, though, were heeding the mandatory evacuation orders that stretched from the Panhandle south along the Gulf Coast in low-lying areas around Tallahassee, Gainesville, Cedar Key, Lake City, Tampa and Sarasota.
Among them were Cindy Waymon and her husband, who went to a shelter in Tallahassee after securing their home and packing medications, snacks and drinks. They wanted to stay safe given the magnitude of the storm, she said.
“This is the first time we’ve actually come to a shelter, because of the complexities of the storm and the uncertainties,” she said.
Federal authorities staged search-and-rescue teams as the weather service forecast storm surges of up to 20 feet (6 meters) and warned they could be particularly “catastrophic and unsurvivable” in Apalachee Bay.
“Please, please, please take any evacuation orders seriously!” the office said, describing the surge scenario as “a nightmare.”
This stretch of Florida known as the Forgotten Coast has been largely spared by the widespread condo development and commercialization that dominates so many of Florida’s beach communities. The region is loved for its natural wonders including the vast stretches of salt marshes, tidal pools and barrier islands.
“You live down here, you run the risk of losing everything to a bad storm,” said Anthony Godwin, who lives about a half-mile (800 meters) from the water in the coastal town of Panacea, as he stopped for gas before heading west toward his sister’s house in Pensacola.
School districts and multiple universities canceled classes. Airports in Tampa, Tallahassee and Clearwater were closed Thursday, while cancellations were widespread elsewhere in Florida and beyond.
While Helene will likely weaken as it moves inland, damaging winds and heavy rain were expected to extend to the southern Appalachian Mountains, where landslides were possible, forecasters said. Tennessee was among the states expected to get drenched.
Helene had swamped parts of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on Wednesday, flooding streets and toppling trees as it passed offshore and brushed the resort city of Cancun. In western Cuba, Helene knocked out power to more than 200,000 homes and businesses as it brushed past the island.
Areas 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of the Georgia-Florida line expected hurricane conditions. The state opened its parks to evacuees and their pets, including horses. Overnight curfews were imposed in many cities and counties in south Georgia.
“This is one of the biggest storms we’ve ever had,” Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said.
For Atlanta, Helene could be the worst strike on a major Southern inland city in 35 years, said University of Georgia meteorology professor Marshall Shepherd.
Helene is the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which began June 1. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted an above-average Atlantic hurricane season this year because of record-warm ocean temperatures.
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Hollingsworth reported from Kansas City, Missouri. Associated Press journalists Seth Borenstein in New York, Jeff Amy in Atlanta, Russ Bynum in Valdosta, Georgia, Danica Coto in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Andrea Rodríguez in Havana, Mark Stevenson and María Verza in Mexico City and Claire Rush in Portland, Oregon, contributed to this report.
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Kate Payne and Heather Hollingsworth | The Associated Press
Fast-moving Hurricane Helene was advancing Thursday across the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida, threatening an “unsurvivable” storm surge in northwestern parts of the state as well as damaging winds, rains and flash floods hundreds of miles inland across much of the southeastern U.S., forecasters said.
Helene was upgraded to a Category 2 hurricane and is expected to make landfall on Florida’s northwest coast Thursday evening as a Category 3 or higher storm. As of early Thursday, hurricane warnings and flash flood warnings extended far beyond the coast up into south-central Georgia. The governors of Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas have all declared emergencies in their states.
The National Weather Service in Tallahassee forecast storm surges of up to 20 feet (6 meters) and warned they could be particularly “catastrophic and life-threatening” in Florida’s Apalachee Bay. It added that high winds and heavy rains also posed risks.
“This forecast, if realized, is a nightmare surge scenario for Apalachee Bay,” the office said. “Please, please, please take any evacuation orders seriously!”
In Crawfordville, farther inland and about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northwest of Apalachee Bay, Christine Nazworth stocked up on bottled water, baked goods and premade meals at a Walmart. She said her family would be sheltering in place, despite Wakulla County issuing a mandatory evacuation order.
“I’m prayed up,” she said. “Lord have mercy on us. And everybody else that might be in its path.”
Wakulla County was one of several to issue evacuation orders. Along Florida’s Gulf Coast, school districts and multiple universities have cancelled classes.
Early Thursday, Helene was about 350 miles (560 kilometers) southwest of Tampa and moving north at 12 mph (19 kph) with top sustained winds of 90 mph (150 kph). Forecasters said it should become a major Category 3 or higher hurricane, meaning winds would top 110 mph (177 kph).
While Helene will likely weaken as it moves inland, its “fast forward speed will allow strong, damaging winds, especially in gusts, to penetrate well inland across the southeastern United States,” including in the southern Appalachian Mountains, the National Hurricane Center said. The center posted lesser tropical storm warnings as far north as North Carolina, and warned that much of the region could experience prolonged power outages, toppled trees and dangerous flooding.
Helene had swamped parts of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on Wednesday, flooding streets and toppling trees as it passed offshore and brushed the resort city of Cancun.
The storm formed Tuesday in the Caribbean Sea. In Cuba, the government preventively shut off power in some communities as waves as high as 16 feet (5 meters) slammed Cortes Bay. And in the Cayman Islands, schools closed and residents pumped water from flooded homes.
Rain was already falling steadily in Atlanta on Wednesday evening as shoppers emptied shelves of water at a Kroger supermarket east of downtown. The National Weather Service in Atlanta issued flash flood warnings for much of the state.
Charles McComb said he still found it hard to believe Helene would seriously impact the city, which is more than 250 miles (400 kilometers) north of the Gulf of Mexico. “It would be really unique for it to hit so far inland,” Charles said as he bought water, bread and lunch meat.
Supermarkets, gas stations, hardware stores and other places in Tallahassee were busy Wednesday as people made their final purchases ahead of Hurricane Helene.
He was, however, worried about losing electricity.
“I do live in an area where it doesn’t take so much for the power to go out,” he said.
Helene is forecast to be one of the largest storms in breadth in years to hit the region, said Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach. He said since 1988, only three Gulf hurricanes were bigger than Helene’s predicted size: 2017’s Irma, 2005’s Wilma and 1995’s Opal.
Areas 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of the Georgia-Florida line can expect hurricane conditions. More than half of Georgia’s public school districts and several universities canceled classes.
For Atlanta, Helene could be the worst strike on a major Southern inland city in 35 years, said University of Georgia meteorology professor Marshall Shepherd.
Landslides were possible in southern Appalachia, and rainfall was expected as far away as Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana.
Federal authorities have positioned generators, food and water, along with search-and-rescue and power restoration teams.
Helene is the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which began June 1. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted an above-average Atlantic hurricane season this year because of record-warm ocean temperatures.
In further storm activity, Tropical Storm Isaac formed Wednesday in the Atlantic and was expected to strengthen as it moves eastward across the open ocean, possibly becoming a hurricane by the end of the week, forecasters said. Isaac was about 690 miles (1,115 kilometers) northeast of Bermuda with top sustained winds of 50 mph (85 kph), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami, which said its swells and winds could affect parts of Bermuda and eventually the Azores by the weekend.
In the Pacific, former Hurricane John reformed Wednesday as a tropical storm and was strengthening as it threatened areas of Mexico’s western coast. Officials posted hurricane warnings for southwestern Mexico.
John hit the country’s southern Pacific coast late Monday, killing at least two people, triggering mudslides, and damaging homes and trees. It grew into a Category 3 hurricane in a matter of hours and made landfall east of Acapulco. It reemerged over the ocean after weakening inland.
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Hollingsworth reported from Mission, Kansas. Associated Press journalists Seth Borenstein in New York; Jeff Amy in Atlanta; Danica Coto in San Juan, Puerto Rico; Andrea Rodríguez in Havana; Mark Stevenson and María Verza in Mexico City; Claire Rush in Portland, Oregon; and Kate Payne in Crawfordville, Florida, contributed to this report.
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Heather Hollingsworth and Stephen Smith | The Associated Press
Keep an umbrella handy as coastal rain rolls inland Wednesday afternoon
Our warm, humid and stormy conditions will continue as high temperatures reach the upper 80s.
Updated: 5:48 AM EDT Sep 11, 2024
SO THEN COMING BACK THIS MORNING, THINKING, OH, WOW. YEAH. IT’S HUMID. IT’S RAINING THIS MORNING. IT’S DEFINITELY A CHANGE. AND OF COURSE, OBVIOUSLY WE STILL NEED THE RAINFALL FOR SOME LOCATIONS BECAUSE WE’RE STILL UNDER A DEFICIT OR WE ARE IN A DEFICIT OF PRECIPITATION FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR. BUT ALL AT ONCE IT’S A LOT AT ONE TIME. RIGHT NOW WE’RE SEEING A LOT OF HEAVY RAINFALL FOR PARTS OF THE CAPE ALL THE WAY DOWN TO PARTS OF MELBOURNE AND BREVARD COUNTY. AND WHEN WE LOOK AT FIRST WARNING RADAR, MUCH OF OUR INLAND SPOTS ARE DRY. WE’RE JUST GOING TO BE WATCHING THIS MORNING OR AS OUR COASTLINE FOR SOME OF THOSE SHOWERS AND SOME HEAVIER DOWNPOURS, EVEN AT TIMES. WE HAD A COUPLE OF THUNDERSTORMS IN PARTS OF THE CAPE, SO FROM PORT SAINT JOHN ALL THE WAY DOWN TO ROCKLEDGE, COCOA, COCOA BEACH, SATELLITE BEACH, MELBOURNE, WE HAVE PLENTY OF RAINFALL AND SOME OF THAT IS TRYING TO WORK INTO PARTS OF EASTERN ORANGE COUNTY AND A COUPLE OF LIGHT SHOWERS IN PARTS OF FLAGLER COUNTY RIGHT AROUND FLAGLER BEACH. SO THIS MORNING WE’RE WATCHING THE RADAR FOR OUR COASTLINE. SOME OF YOU, ESPECIALLY IN BREVARD COUNTY, WILL NEED THAT UMBRELLA AS YOU GET THE KIDS READY FOR SCHOOL. AND THEN WHEN YOU PICK THEM UP FROM SCHOOL, ONCE AGAIN, WE’LL HAVE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. AND THESE ARE GOING TO DEVELOP PRETTY QUICKLY ALL MORNING LONG. THERE MAY BE A COASTAL SHOWER OR TWO. INLAND SPOTS SHOULD BE ON THE DRIER SIDE WITH A MIX OF SUN AND CLOUDS, BUT AT TIMES MORE CLOUD COVER INSTEAD OF SUNSHINE. 3:00 IN THE AFTERNOON. WIDESPREAD RAINFALL THEN QUICKLY DEVELOPS AND THAT’S GOING TO LAST ALL THROUGHOUT THE EARLY EVENING HOURS AS WELL. SO WHEN WE LOOK AT THAT 12 HOUR FORECAST QUICKLY INCREASING TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AROUND LUNCHTIME, AND THEN UP TO A 60% COVERAGE BETWEEN 3 AND 5:00 THIS EVENING. AND BECAUSE THOSE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL ARRIVE A LITTLE BIT EARLIER ON IN THE DAY, HIGH TEMPERATURES TOP OUT AROUND 83 TO 89 DEGREES. WE HAVE A LOT OF MOISTURE IN PLAY, AND IT’S ALL THANKS TO FRANCINE. NOW, FRANCINE IS NOT GOING TO DIRECTLY IMPACT US, BUT IT’S GOING TO PUSH A LOT OF THIS HUMID AIR INTO CENTRAL FLORIDA, WHICH IS WHY OUR RAIN CHANCES ARE GOING TO BE HIGH. STILL OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. THURSDAY, FRIDAY, AND SATURDAY THOUGH, WE’RE DOWN TO A 50% COVERAGE. THEN LOOKING AHEAD TO THE WEEKEND, ESPECIALLY ON SUNDAY, WE’LL START TO GET DRIER. A NEW LOW WILL TRY TO DEVELOP OUT IN THE ATLANTIC, WHICH WILL NOT IMPACT US, BUT MODELS SUGGESTING THIS WILL MOVE INTO THE CAROLINAS AS EARLY AS MONDAY, OR EVEN TUESDAY. BUT FOR NOW, NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER HAS NOT TAGGED THIS AS AN AREA TO WATCH, BUT DEFINITELY GOING TO BE BIG IMPACTS FOR THE CAROLINAS IN TERMS OF RAIN AND SOME WIND WATCHING. INVEST WHAT WE CALL 93 L AND 80% CHANCE OF DEVELOPMENT IN THE NEXT SEVEN DAYS. COULD GRADUALLY GET ITS ACT TOGETHER AND RIGHT NOW, NOT LOOKING LIKE A HUGE IMPACT FOR FLORIDA. STILL PLENTY OF TIME TO WATCH. MOST MODELS HAVE THIS EVENTUALLY STRENGTHENING LATER ON. NEXT WEEK AND INTO THE FOLLOWING WEEKEND, AND THIS WILL TRY TO AT LEAST SOME OF THE MODELS SHOWING THIS WILL TRY TO MOVE INTO PARTS OF CENTRAL ATLANTIC, SO WE’LL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE TROPICS, BUT RIGHT NOW WE’RE JUST WATCHING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HERE LOCALLY. AND THEN LOOKING AHEAD TO NEXT WEEK. MONDAY AND TUESDAY WE GET A BIT OF A DRI
Keep an umbrella handy as coastal rain rolls inland Wednesday afternoon
Our warm, humid and stormy conditions will continue as high temperatures reach the upper 80s.
Updated: 5:48 AM EDT Sep 11, 2024
Wednesday morning is off to a humid start with showers across parts of our coast. These coastal showers will linger throughout the morning. More showers and storms will develop Wednesday afternoon leading up to a 60% coverage. Much of the activity will fall off Wednesday night, however, a few showers overnight cannot be ruled out.Rain chances are slightly lower for the rest of the workweek and to start the weekend. Sunday’s rain chances will lower to 40% and continue to drop Monday and Tuesday around 30%.TROPICS:There are a few areas to watch in the tropics.Francine is a powerful Category 1 hurricane with winds of 90mph. The 11 p.m. track shows the storm making landfall in LA this PM as a strong Category 1 hurricane. From there it will work north into Mississippi as a tropical storm.Invest 92-L is producing disorganized showers and storms in the Central Atlantic. It is expected to encounter strong upper-level winds by Thursday which will limit this from developing further. There is a 30% chance of development in the next two and seven days.Invest 93-L is producing disorganized showers and storms, however, conditions look to be favorable for development. A tropical depression is likely to form later this week. Right now models are not making this a concern for the U.S.There is no area of interest yet, but models are hinting on a tropical disturbance developing off the GA/SC coast and moving into the Carolinas early next week.
ORLANDO, Fla. —
Wednesday morning is off to a humid start with showers across parts of our coast. These coastal showers will linger throughout the morning.
More showers and storms will develop Wednesday afternoon leading up to a 60% coverage.
Much of the activity will fall off Wednesday night, however, a few showers overnight cannot be ruled out.
Rain chances are slightly lower for the rest of the workweek and to start the weekend.
Sunday’s rain chances will lower to 40% and continue to drop Monday and Tuesday around 30%.
TROPICS:
There are a few areas to watch in the tropics.
Francine is a powerful Category 1 hurricane with winds of 90mph. The 11 p.m. track shows the storm making landfall in LA this PM as a strong Category 1 hurricane. From there it will work north into Mississippi as a tropical storm.
Invest 92-L is producing disorganized showers and storms in the Central Atlantic. It is expected to encounter strong upper-level winds by Thursday which will limit this from developing further. There is a 30% chance of development in the next two and seven days.
Invest 93-L is producing disorganized showers and storms, however, conditions look to be favorable for development. A tropical depression is likely to form later this week. Right now models are not making this a concern for the U.S.
There is no area of interest yet, but models are hinting on a tropical disturbance developing off the GA/SC coast and moving into the Carolinas early next week.
Prepare Your Property for Hurricane Season with Expert Tree Care from SB Tree Service—Safeguarding Homes in Volusia and Flagler Counties from Storm Damage.
ORMOND BEACH, Fla., August 21, 2024 (Newswire.com)
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MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — Tropical Storm Debby has dumped so much rainfall in Manatee County, with record numbers of up to 21 inches in some areas, that it has forced officials to release water from the dam to ease the pressure.
What You Need To Know
Manatee officials released some water from Lake Manatee Dam on Saturday, then dissolved three plugs in the dam to release more water on Monday when an alert was sent out notifying residents
Residents say they are experiencing flooding from the huge amounts of water being released from the dam
According to Manatee County officials, there have been more than 200 rescues due to flooding in our county. That includes adults, children, and pets. If you need help in a flooded area, dial 3-1-1
On Saturday, county officials said they began releasing water from Lake Manatee Dam. Then on Monday, the county said they released more water beginning at 9:30 a.m., and once again at 11 a.m. and a third time at 2:30 p.m.
According to Manatee County, the average number for Lake Manatee to have in the dam is 44 feet of water, but it was at 48 feet at the peak of the storm.
There was an alert sent out to everyone’s phone, notifying them of the plans.
County officials said if they did not release the thousands of cubic feet of water, it would have been catastrophic.
“Our call center took over 2,200 calls in the last 72 hours. Additional 800 emergency calls and 900 non-emergency calls have been handled by that call center. Our flood management realized that it handled a 100-year flood. This is a 100-year flood that we’ve had this during this storm and our dam at Lake Manatee did its job,” said Manatee County District 4 Commissioner Mike Rahn.
“It came up too fast”
John Mozima is a Bradenton resident has lived in his house by the Manatee River for 30 years. He says his home has never flooded until Monday when the county released water from Lake Manatee Dam. He doesn’t have insurance so every cost will be out of pocket pic.twitter.com/8qG5aNgP6e
Manatee County officials said as of Tuesday morning, they had made more than 200 rescues for adults, children and pets. And as of Tuesday, the county received more than 2,200 calls from residents dialing 311.
U.S. Senator and former Florida Gov. Rick Scott spoke at a Manatee County Public Safety press conference Tuesday morning.
“Do everything you can to keep your family safe. Don’t take any risk. Don’t run. Don’t drive in standing water. Don’t touch a downed power line. The state’s saturated right now,” he said. “Even before this, the state was saturated. So, we’re going to see a lot more downed trees. Then there’s, unfortunately, going to be hazards out there.”
Of the many families impacted by the excess amount of water leaving the dam, some families say they think their home flooding could have been prevented.
‘Everything was under water’
John Mozina is a Bradenton resident who has lived by the Manatee River for 30 years. He said on Monday night, he, his son and family members saw the water flow into their home, and then saw his neighbors around him also impacted. Their entire area surrounding them has flooded.
Until Mozina’s home is safe again, his two dogs will be temporarily staying with his daughter and grandchildren.
“I’m taking them to a safe place,” he said.
Mozina’s entire driveway was flooded, so the only way to get to his house was by boat.
“It’s heartbreaking. You know, everything you work for in our house and all of our stuff — most of it is ruined,” he said.
Spectrum Bay News 9 took a ride with Mozina on his boat and were several feet above his driveway. He said it is because of the water that was released from Lake Manatee Dam.
“I’ve been dealing with it for 30 years. We have a problem with our dam. No one does nothing about it,” he said.
“Im taking them to a safe place.”
John Mozina’s Bradenton home flooded a foot in his home. He says it’s from the water being released from Lake Manatee Dam so now he is taking his dogs to safety, temporarily leaving them with his daughter and grand kids. @BN9pic.twitter.com/XefUHtfLAy
While he’s lived at his Bradenton home next to the Manatee River for 30 years, he said this is the worst flooding he’s ever experienced.
“Everything was under water,” he said.
It had never seeped into his house until Monday night.
“They put out a notification that they were going to open everything and they had to get rid of the water because they’re worried about the dam breaking. And it wasn’t about 30 minutes after that, it turned 10 times more turbulent coming out the river. And then the water just came up,” he said.
His family estimates it will cost them $20,000 just to repair the walls.
“It came to pass that you couldn’t move things that fast. A lot of it got ruined. Those couches are all sucked up. Ten tons of water last night. And all the foam and everything’s saturated. All you can do is throw it away,” he said.
He doesn’t have insurance, so the cost will come out-of-pocket.
“New furniture, new appliances, new this, that, and the other. It adds up. Especially now, everything’s expensive,” he said. “Life’s got its ups and downs. This is definitely a down, but we’ll come back. I just hope they can do something.”
He’s looking on the bright side of things, hoping this amount of water won’t end up in his home again.
PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Floodwater from Hurricane Debby washed out a large section of a newly reconstructed bridge on Sunday which connects the Silk Oak Lodge mobile home park in the Clearwater area.
What You Need To Know
Hurricane Debby washed out nearly half of the bridge
The bridge connects the east and west side of the Silk Oak Lodge community
Residents said the mobile home park clubhouse was flooded
Park management has hired a state-licensed civil engineer who is assessing the bridge damage
“At this point, there is no traffic between the two sides of our park,” said resident Dawn McCowan, 55. “Which has impacted anybody on the other side coming to the pool and now I don’t have access to Belcher.”
Resident Elaine Diaz shot video of the floodwater in the Curlew Creek culvert flowing over the bridge which looked like a waterfall. Debby washed out nearly half of the bridge, some fencing and underground plumbing.
McCowan said the bridge had just reopened two weeks ago after it had been damaged by a storm earlier this year. She said it took about six weeks for the last repair but predicts this time it will take longer because there’s more damage.
“I’m guessing six to eight weeks for sure,” she said. “It’s a lot worse than it was last time.”
Park management officials said they hired a state-licensed civil engineer who is assessing the damage and will make recommendations for repairs.
“We will be working with our contractors and state and local authorities to make the needed repairs to the bridge,” stated spokeswoman Jennifer Ludovice. “The timeline for repairs is still to be determined.”
Ludovice said the Silk Oak Lodge Park has not gotten reports of any mobile homes being flooded.
Resident Gaby Brown lives near the creek and shot video of floodwater inside her lanai but said her home, which is more elevated, remained dry.
Brown also shot video of floodwater inside the clubhouse and said “flooded as usual.”
McCowan said the clubhouse floods during heavy thunderstorms.
“This time it’s flooded a lot worse,” she said. “When they have to close our clubhouse, then in turn, they close our pool because our bathroom facilities are in our clubhouse.”
McCowan said the park hosts a food pantry at the clubhouse twice a month which some residents depend on.
“Without being able to have it open we have no way to host the food pantry,” she said. “People count on that.”
Ludovice said while the bridge is closed, residents can access either side of the park by using Belcher Road or U.S. Highway 19 N.
“With this closure, residents located in the east side of the community can access the amenities in the community by driving around to the other side,” she stated. “We are working diligently to complete the necessary repairs and look forward to reopening the bridge as quickly as possible.”
Satellite measurements indicate intensive plumes of dust, called the Saharan Air Layer, across much of the eastern Atlantic. Traces of dust have even made the more than 4,000-mile journey to Florida and the Gulf Coast.
Sunrises and sunsets have been enhanced across the Sunshine State as the particles scatter typical colors, allowing hues of orange, yellow and red to dominate the sky.
Aside from the vibrant colors, something not falling from the sky is precipitation.
According to NOAA, the air surrounding the SAL has about 50% less moisture than the typical atmosphere. This means the presence of the SAL can be detrimental to cloud formation and thunderstorm activity.
Significant plumes of dust and dry air are common during the first months of the hurricane season and usually persist through mid-August.
NOAA estimates that more than 180 million tons of dust leave the African continent every year, reducing thunderstorm activity and tropical cyclone formation.
Dry air and Saharan dust are perennial wild cards in tropical weather outlooks, as meteorology has yet to develop sufficient methods to forecast plumes weeks and months in advance.
Years with significant dust often experience reduced cyclone activity. Seasons with minimal dust typically rank at the top echelons of activity, thanks to increased moisture availability for tropical systems and warmer water temperatures.
The current season is a bit unusual as water temperatures started on the warm side across much of the basin, negating any minor effects from a dust storm.
Warm waters and limited exposure to dry air helped with the formations of Alberto, Beryl and Chris during late June and early July.
The trend for limited activity in the Atlantic basin is expected to continue for the foreseeable future, meaning that the next cyclone formation may be weeks away.
Atlantic hurricane season 2024 summary as of July 13, 2024.
During an average year, the fourth-named storm usually doesn’t form until about Aug. 15, meaning any formation during the next month will keep the season ahead of a typical schedule.
Despite the hostile conditions in the Atlantic, hurricane forecasters at Colorado State University maintain that 2024 will be a busy season in the Atlantic.
2024 updated Colorado State University hurricane season forecast.
“This forecast is of above-normal confidence. We anticipate a well above-average probability for major hurricane landfalls along the continental United States coastline and in the Caribbean,” CSU forecasters stated during their most recent tropical update. “As with all hurricane seasons, coastal residents are reminded that it only takes one hurricane making landfall to make it an active season.”
The season runs through Nov. 30, but nearly 60% of cyclone formation occurs in August and September.
Tropical cyclone frequency chart from June 1 to Nov. 30.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — As the peak of hurricane season approaches, Tampa Bay residents can pick up free hurricane supplies in St. Petersburg on Thursday.
Rebuilding Together is holding a hurricane supply giveaway on July 11 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at their St. Pete office, 1350 22nd St. South.
Residents will pull through the parking lot for a drive-thru style giveaway and pick up a large Home Depot bucket containing cleaning supplies, tarps, bug spray, bungee cords, safety gear, scissors, sanitizing wipes, a large flashlight and more. Supplies will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis until they run out.
Need hurricane supplies?
Rebuilding Together to give away hurricane supply kit on July 11 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The event will be held at 1350 22nd St. South in St. Pete while supplies last
A second giveaway will take place on July 18 in Tampa
Brandy Canada, chief operating officer of Rebuilding Together, said state and local partners, along with Home Depot, made the giveaway possible.
Rebuilding Together repaired over 1,000 homes damaged by storms since Hurricane Ian ripped through the state in 2022, while also focusing on storm preparation.
Through their work, Canada said her team has a good eye for what the most necessary hurricane prep supplies are and included those items in the free kits.
Rebuilding Together is handing out FREE hurricane supplies this afternoon in St. Pete @BN9
– 1350 22nd St S – 3-5 p.m. – First come, first served basis – Until supplies last – Drive-through style giveaway – Kits are packed with all types of hurricane prep items pic.twitter.com/FMy2yrCP9y
HOUSTON – Hurricane Beryl’s power outages in the Houston area are historic for CenterPoint, according to Jason Ryan, Executive Vice President of Regulatory Services and Government Affairs. And fueled by “unprecedented extreme weather” including not just Beryl, but freezes, drought and rain that have all contributed to conditions that caused debris — entire trees and limbs — to bring down or damage power lines.
In a live and exclusive interview with KPRC 2′s Gage Goulding this afternoon, Ryan said the amount of help they brought in was unprecedented too. on Wednesday, 11-thousand workers were out on 16-hour shifts, restoring power and making repairs.
Ryan — who said he also has no power — expects the company to reach its goal of restoring power for one million customers by the end of Wednesday, as promised.
What’s up with the outage tracker?
“So the outage tracker map that we put up, last night is still a temporary fix that shows kind of in groups where you are in our restoration process. We will update that map three times a day at noon, at 4 p.m., 8 p.m.,” Ryan said.
Starting Thursday, CenterPoint will also give customers estimated restoration times. That should help us all get a better handle on how long it will take to get power restored to most folks.
The company’s outage tracker crashed with more than 900,000 outages during May’s derecho and the company told everyone a new, better tool was coming.
“But we are bringing a completely new, outage tracker map that will be able to withstand the significant traffic that we saw during the derecho. It was that significant traffic on the map that brought that site down. We knew if we put that same site back up, it would not meet customer expectations this go-around either. So that’s why we came up with the outage map that we put out yesterday. We will continue to refine the information on that map and provide estimated restoration times starting tomorrow,” Ryan told Goulding. The new outage tracker was supposed to be ready by the end of this month, but Ryan didn’t have a date for the rollout.
More than a million customers were still without power in the Houston metro area Wednesday night after Hurricane Beryl’s destructive wind.
Transcript from the full interview:
Gage Goulding: Thank you so much. I know you’re incredibly busy. You and your entire team. On behalf of Houston, we thank you for all the hard work the men and women here at CenterPoint are doing. First and foremost, how are you and your team? Is everybody okay and safe?
Jason Ryan: We are. And you know, I want to start out by thanking our customers for their patience. We’re about 48 hours since the hurricane left the greater Houston area. And our team has performed well. We’ve had no serious injuries or fatalities. Very proud of that. Especially with the more than 10,000 additional resources that we brought in from other utilities. They’re not used to being in Houston. they’re working in dangerous conditions. And so, the men and women in the field are safe and super proud of them.
Gage Goulding: And that’s a staggering number. So let’s start there. I met, I think, of a crew as far away from Wheeling, West Virginia that I, whenever I was out and I worked in Wheeling, West Virginia, many moons ago. And I was just so shocked that they were here so quickly. And I believe the number was 12,000 people out working to restore power. Have you ever had an activation of that size before, or is this kind of historic proportions, if you will.
Jason Ryan: So we’ve never had this many customers out from a storm before. 2.26 million customers out at the height of the storm. so as a result of that unprecedented outage number, we needed to have an unprecedented response. So we brought those crews in as soon as it was safe to bring them into Houston, and got them to work. There are more than 11,000 people working on the system today.
Gage Goulding: 11,000?
Jason Ryan: Yes.
Gage Goulding: So let’s talk about that. That was an incredible goal of a million people restored by the end of today. Are you confident? Are we going to reach that?
Jason Ryan: Yes, we’re on track to reach that. We, restored 918,000 customers as of 1:00 today. So we’re on track to hit that million customer mark. Our crews are working 16 hour days. And we’re going to work non-stop around the clock until we get all of our customers back on. But we are confident in hitting, our goal for today.
Gage Goulding: So we put an article up earlier asking our KPRC 2 Insiders to, you know, give us some questions that they want to ask you if they can be in the hot seat with you right now. One of the questions was, and we saw some crews, you know, just in a parking lot. “There’s crews down the street for me, there in a parking lot. They’re not working. What are they doing?” Is that a shift waiting to go on? You know, what are these? How does that all work?
Jason Ryan: It could be a number of things. It could be them documenting the work that they’ve done so far. It could be them getting additional directions for the work they need to do. You know, some of these crews, they get on site. Based on the assessment that they’ve done, that we’ve done, they may need additional information before they can get started working. Again. 10,000 plus of these personnel are not CenterPoint energy employees. They need to understand the standards to which we have to build our system. They need to understand how high the clearances for the lines need to be to comply with local ordinances. So they may be getting that additional information before they start their work. Or they may be, recording the work that’s been done to date so that we can get those outage numbers constantly updated. You know, so there are a number of reasons why they may be, idle for a minute. They may also be on break. We know our customers are hot. The men and women doing this work are hot. So they are taking breaks. They are rehydrating. So that may be another reason why you see, the crews not actively working, but they are out there working.
Gage Goulding: What are some of the biggest problems that you’re dealing with right now? Is it you know, what we saw during the May storm? Transmission lines down. Is it vegetation? What are some of the biggest obstacles out there?
Jason Ryan: Yeah. So unlike that storm, unlike, Harvey before it, this is not a storm that caused material problems on our transmission system. The transmission system of the big poles and wires that move power across the state. We didn’t have material damage to the transmission system. We didn’t have material damage to our substations. Our substations didn’t flood, like they did during Harvey. This is a distribution system challenge. It is the poles and the wires that go from the substations to your home or business. That’s the distribution system. And it’s largely debris on that distribution system. It could be entire trees, that have fallen over. It could be limbs that have fallen over. You know, we’ve gone through significant freezes, significant drought, significant rain, unprecedented, extreme weather conditions on our large trees here in Houston. You’ve got large canopies without mature root systems and so that’s why you see entire trees coming over onto our infrastructure. So it is a vegetation tree problem on the distribution system. Our personnel as of the end of the day yesterday had walked 4,500 miles of distribution lines to assess the problem so they can assign the right crews to do the right work. You know before we can send the right crews out, we need to know do we need to send a construction crew out a large construction crew to rebuild the poles and the wires? Do we need to send a vegetation crew out to remove trees, or do we need to send a smaller crew out, to rework smaller parts of the distribution system? Knowing which crews to send out is the reason we do that assessment work in the first 48 hours.
Gage Goulding: And we we talked about, brought it up to the ratio back in May. That put quite a strain, actually, believe it or not, June 7 is when we did that interview. Fast forward a month to the day is whenever Beryl was about to make landfall. So just very ironic. And, you know, we talked back then about how during Ike, CenterPoint had 12 days to get, you know, ready to brace for it in duration. You had no time.
Jason Ryan: 15 minutes. Yeah.
Gage Goulding: How much time did you, you know, realize that? This is going to this is going to impact us and our customers.
Jason Ryan: eah. So we started watching this storm nine days out. And as everybody knows, at that time, it wasn’t looking like it was coming to Texas. Obviously, as the days got closer to Monday, that started to change. It really started to change over the weekend. When it was more clear that it was going to hit the Houston area. So we, lined up 3,000 mutual aid resources to come into Houston before the weekend. As it became more clear that this storm was going to have a direct hit on us, that’s when we increased the number of people that we asked for. And that’s where the, greater than 10,000 crews came in to play when it was clear that the storm was going to hit right here.
Gage Goulding: And one of the things that we talked about in depth that there’s already changed from the derecho to now was the outage tracker. And I, I want to quote our interview that we had. You said,”We didn’t meet customer expectations when that wasn’t available, when they needed it most. It’s not acceptable to us or our customers.” And this is what really stuck with me, “We know that we will not have that grace from our customers and communities to miss it again.”
Jason Ryan: That’s right.
Gage Goulding: The new outage tracker. You promised a new outage tracker in maybe a little bit quicker than you would have wanted to try it out. Are you happy with the new outage tracker? And is this the solution to make sure people are informed? [16:07:42][37.4]
Jason Ryan: So the outage tracker map that we put up, last night is still a temporary fix that shows kind of in groups where you are in our restoration process. We will update that map three times a day at noon, at 4 p.m., 8 p.m. We will update it three times a day. Starting tomorrow, we will have estimated restoration times. That’s more granular than what you see there today. That is still a temporary fix.
We are starting completely from scratch with a new outage map, that we unfortunately were aiming for the end of this month in advance of the typical hurricane, peak of hurricane season, right? August. September.
But we are bringing a completely new, outage tracker map that will be able to withstand the significant traffic that we saw during the derecho. It was that significant traffic on the map that brought that site down. We knew if we put that same site back up, it would not meet customer expectations this go-around either. So that’s why we came up with the outage map that we put out yesterday. We will continue to refine the information on that map and provide estimated restoration times starting tomorrow.
Gage Goulding: Another thing we talked about back in June, and it seems like such a long time ago, but in the broader, you know, business, there really isn’t. We talked about the supplies because that’s our concern back then was how does how did that the Rachel affect hurricane season where you have all your stock built up. And I remember you telling me that, you know, you said I can’t lie to you. We’re trying to get everything put back together. Were you able to replenish your stock in time, or are you facing any supply chain issues or we need more poles and we can’t get them?
Jason Ryan: We don’t have any material challenges with our supply right now. We did replenish that over the course of the last month plus, since the derecho. So we are not having supply issues, causing delays and restoration.
Gage Goulding: If I have no power, I see my neighbors still have it. I think there’s a lot of people. The number one question I get is, you know, when is you know, 77098 coming on when it was like a zip code or something like that, right. What can you tell people? Yeah. After. And I get it, I don’t have power either at home right now. It was a very uncomfortable sleep last night.
Jason Ryan: Same.
Gage Goulding: So you don’t have power, right?
Jason Ryan: Right. That’s right.
Gage Goulding: So even even one of the top dog doesn’t have that happen. So you’re you’re with us, you know, and I’m sure you’re wondering when is that beautiful white truck going to come down and fix my stuff. What can you offer to the CenterPoint customers and people of Houston to just help us get through this? You know what we dig For any information, what would you offer?
Jason Ryan: So, we know that customers want to understand the process. So yesterday we put out a visual of the process. It’s a five step process, right? It starts with our preparation post-storm. It starts with assessment. That’s step two of the process. Many of our customers are still in step two, but a number of our customers have gone on to step three, which is restoration at the circuit level. Think of, circuits being the main highways of the distribution system that bring on entire areas of town. And so we start working on circuits first with the theory of bring on the most people the quickest and you’ll get to the one-days, two-days later. We know that’s still frustrating for those, 1 or 2 people that are out in that neighborhood, but our priority is to get the most people on the soonest. So as soon as we finish those circuit level outages, that’s where you might see certain neighborhoods on, but other neighborhoods not on. Again, we work down the priority list. So, step threeare those circuit level, outages. Step four starts getting into the neighborhood specific outage and then step five is the premise-specific outage.
During Hurricane Ike, for example, I was the last house in the neighborhood to get on because the line to my house was on the ground. Nobody else had the line on the ground. And so I was one of the last ones because that’s the process that we use.
Gage Goulding: And everybody wants to have the priority status. Even you don’t have the priority status. Is there a priority leveling? Is there certain neighborhoods get power first because it’s, you know, status or anything like that or is it based off of where the hospitals are?
Jason Ryan: We do give priority to a number of public safety-related premises. So think water treatment facilities, 911 centers. So we do prioritize getting those facilities back up while at the same time we’re working on the circuit level outages for the homes and businesses. So we do prioritize those public safety necessary premises to get back up before you get into boil water notices unnecessarily, things like that. So we don’t want the problems to get bigger just because, you might be the one-days, two-days, but you’re an incredibly important public safety premise So we do prioritize those. We are working through those priority lists as we speak.
Gage Goulding: And we only have a couple of minutes. I want to get across two more things here. The last time we talked in June, you said Ike cost about $700 million in the derecho in May was around roughly at the time about $100 million. Is there any forecast on what this has already cost or what it will cost?
Jason Ryan: Not yet. We’re still in the first 48 hours of the event, but we have brought in many more crews than we brought in, for the derecho, so this will be, you know, a multitude or, you know, twice as much, probably as the derecho event, but we’re still working on that.
Gage Goulding: And, we talked about this in depth in June, and we reported on it and I think this is a really interesting thing, the Resilience Plan, a huge monumental investment by CenterPoint to make the grid stronger. A lot of the questions people had were actually answered by that like, “Why isn’t CenterPoint investing in making the grid and everything stronger?” That’s actually in the process of happening. Can you explain how and what the Resilience Plan is and how that’s going to help? If we knock on wood and hopefully don’t get one of these again. But if it [the plan] happens, how it will help prevent having these monumental numbers?
Jason Ryan: So our Resilience Plan that we filed with the state back in March has 28 different programs associated with it. Some of them are on hard infrastructure, like distribution lines, where we’re replacing wooden poles with harder composite poles. Some of them are cybersecurity related. Some of them are physical security related. But let me stick with the pole example. And we’ve seen during the duration that we’ve seen during this storm where we’ve already started putting those composite poles up. In these severe weather events, those composite poles remain standing, and right next to them, wooden poles that we haven’t yet replaced are on the ground, snapped in half. So we know from these early tests that the Resilience Plan will yield better results once it’s fully implemented.
Gage Goulding: Well, Jason, thank you very much. I appreciate you taking the time. We appreciate all the work that CenterPoint is doing and you know, look, a lot of people still in Houston without power it’s going to take time, but 12,000 people, that’s a lot of people that are out there working right now. Anything else you want to add in there that we didn’t get to?
Jason Ryan: You know, only again recognizing that our customers are feeling the brunt of this. And understanding that in addition to the power being out, many of them have suffered significant, loss to property, right? Trees on their houses, trees on their cars. Trees on their businesses. And so our hearts go out to our customers. We thank them for their patience as we continue to do restoration. But we do know, that there’s a lot of suffering out in the community and we’re we will not stop working until the work is done.
After battering Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, Beryl moved back into the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico where it was expected to regain hurricane strength Saturday before taking aim at the Texas coast, where officials urged residents to brace for a potential hit.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center predicted late Friday that Beryl would intensify on Saturday before making landfall, prompting expanded hurricane and storm surge watches.
Hurricane & Storm Surge Watches have been issued for much of the TX coast where there is an increasing risk of damaging hurricane-force winds and life-threatening storm surge late Sun/Mon. Additional watches may be issued tonight or early Saturday. https://t.co/meemB5uHAR#Berylpic.twitter.com/Hy1oz1iouZ
“There is an increasing risk of damaging hurricane-force winds and life-threatening storm surge in portions of northeastern Mexico and the lower and middle Texas coast late Sunday and Monday,” the center warned.
Texas officials warned the state’s entire coastline to brace for possible flooding, heavy rain and wind as they wait for a more defined path of the storm. On Friday, the hurricane center issued hurricane and storm surge watches for the Texas coast from the mouth of the Rio Grande north to San Luis Pass, less than 80 miles (128.75 kilometers) south of Houston.
The storm made landfall on the Mexican coast near Tulum as a Category 2 storm early Friday.
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the acting governor while Gov. Greg Abbott is traveling in Taiwan, issued a pre-emptive disaster declaration for 40 counties.
“Everyone along the (Texas) coast should be paying attention this storm,” Patrick said. “We hope and we pray for nothing more than a rain event.”
Some Texas coastal cities called for voluntary evacuations in low-lying areas prone to flooding, banned beach camping and urged tourists traveling on the July 4 holiday weekend to move recreational vehicles from coastal parks. In Corpus Christi, city officials announced it had distributed 10,000 sandbags in less than two hours Friday, exhausting its supply.
Beryl already spread destruction in Jamaica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Barbados this week. Three people have been reported dead in Grenada, three in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, three in Venezuela and two in Jamaica, officials said.
Mexican authorities had moved some tourists and residents out of low-lying areas around the Yucatan Peninsula before landfall, but tens of thousands remained to tough out the strong winds and storm surge. Much of the area around Tulum is just a few yards (meters) above sea level.
The city was plunged into darkness when the storm knocked out power as it came ashore. Screeching winds set off car alarms across the town. Wind and rain continued to whip the seaside city and surrounding areas Friday morning. Army brigades roved the streets of the tourist city, clearing fallen trees and power lines.
After seeing Beryl tear through the Caribbean, 37-year-old Lucía Nagera Balcaza was among those who stocked up on food and hid away in their homes.
“Thank god, we woke up this morning and everything was all right,” she said. “The streets are a disaster, but we’re out here cleaning up.”
Although no dead or wounded have been reported, nearly half of Tulum continued to be without electricity, said Laura Velázquez, national coordinator of Mexican Civil Protection.
While many in the Yucatan Peninsula took a deep breath, Jamaica and other islands ravaged by the hurricane were still reeling. Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness promised swift relief for residents after visiting one of the worst-affected areas of the island, the southern parish of St Elizabeth on Thursday.
Before the storm hit Mexico, officials had set up shelters in schools and hotels. When the wind began gusting over Tulum’s beaches Thursday, officials on four-wheelers with megaphones rolled along the sand telling people to leave and authorities evacuated beachside hotels. Sea turtle eggs were even moved off beaches threatened by storm surge.
Tourists also took precautions. Lara Marsters, 54, a therapist visiting Tulum from Boise, Idaho, said she had filled up empty water bottles from the tap.
“We’re going to hunker down and stay safe,” she said.
___
Vertuno reported from Austin, Texas. Associated Press writers John Myers Jr. and Renloy Trail in Kingston, Jamaica; Mark Stevenson and Megan Janetsky in Mexico City; Coral Murphy Marcos in San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Lucanus Ollivierre on Union Island, St. Vincent and Grenadines also contributed to this report.
After battering Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, Beryl moved back into the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico where it was expected to regain hurricane strength Saturday before taking aim at the Texas coast, where officials urged residents to brace for a potential hit.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center predicted late Friday that Beryl would intensify on Saturday before making landfall, prompting expanded hurricane and storm surge watches.
Hurricane & Storm Surge Watches have been issued for much of the TX coast where there is an increasing risk of damaging hurricane-force winds and life-threatening storm surge late Sun/Mon. Additional watches may be issued tonight or early Saturday. https://t.co/meemB5uHAR#Berylpic.twitter.com/Hy1oz1iouZ
“There is an increasing risk of damaging hurricane-force winds and life-threatening storm surge in portions of northeastern Mexico and the lower and middle Texas coast late Sunday and Monday,” the center warned.
Texas officials warned the state’s entire coastline to brace for possible flooding, heavy rain and wind as they wait for a more defined path of the storm. On Friday, the hurricane center issued hurricane and storm surge watches for the Texas coast from the mouth of the Rio Grande north to San Luis Pass, less than 80 miles (128.75 kilometers) south of Houston.
The storm made landfall on the Mexican coast near Tulum as a Category 2 storm early Friday.
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the acting governor while Gov. Greg Abbott is traveling in Taiwan, issued a pre-emptive disaster declaration for 40 counties.
“Everyone along the (Texas) coast should be paying attention this storm,” Patrick said. “We hope and we pray for nothing more than a rain event.”
Some Texas coastal cities called for voluntary evacuations in low-lying areas prone to flooding, banned beach camping and urged tourists traveling on the July 4 holiday weekend to move recreational vehicles from coastal parks. In Corpus Christi, city officials announced it had distributed 10,000 sandbags in less than two hours Friday, exhausting its supply.
Beryl already spread destruction in Jamaica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Barbados this week. Three people have been reported dead in Grenada, three in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, three in Venezuela and two in Jamaica, officials said.
Mexican authorities had moved some tourists and residents out of low-lying areas around the Yucatan Peninsula before landfall, but tens of thousands remained to tough out the strong winds and storm surge. Much of the area around Tulum is just a few yards (meters) above sea level.
The city was plunged into darkness when the storm knocked out power as it came ashore. Screeching winds set off car alarms across the town. Wind and rain continued to whip the seaside city and surrounding areas Friday morning. Army brigades roved the streets of the tourist city, clearing fallen trees and power lines.
After seeing Beryl tear through the Caribbean, 37-year-old Lucía Nagera Balcaza was among those who stocked up on food and hid away in their homes.
“Thank god, we woke up this morning and everything was all right,” she said. “The streets are a disaster, but we’re out here cleaning up.”
Although no dead or wounded have been reported, nearly half of Tulum continued to be without electricity, said Laura Velázquez, national coordinator of Mexican Civil Protection.
While many in the Yucatan Peninsula took a deep breath, Jamaica and other islands ravaged by the hurricane were still reeling. Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness promised swift relief for residents after visiting one of the worst-affected areas of the island, the southern parish of St Elizabeth on Thursday.
Before the storm hit Mexico, officials had set up shelters in schools and hotels. When the wind began gusting over Tulum’s beaches Thursday, officials on four-wheelers with megaphones rolled along the sand telling people to leave and authorities evacuated beachside hotels. Sea turtle eggs were even moved off beaches threatened by storm surge.
Tourists also took precautions. Lara Marsters, 54, a therapist visiting Tulum from Boise, Idaho, said she had filled up empty water bottles from the tap.
“We’re going to hunker down and stay safe,” she said.
___
Vertuno reported from Austin, Texas. Associated Press writers John Myers Jr. and Renloy Trail in Kingston, Jamaica; Mark Stevenson and Megan Janetsky in Mexico City; Coral Murphy Marcos in San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Lucanus Ollivierre on Union Island, St. Vincent and Grenadines also contributed to this report.
After battering Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, Beryl moved back into the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico where it was expected to regain hurricane strength Saturday before taking aim at the Texas coast, where officials urged residents to brace for a potential hit.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center predicted late Friday that Beryl would intensify on Saturday before making landfall, prompting expanded hurricane and storm surge watches.
Hurricane & Storm Surge Watches have been issued for much of the TX coast where there is an increasing risk of damaging hurricane-force winds and life-threatening storm surge late Sun/Mon. Additional watches may be issued tonight or early Saturday. https://t.co/meemB5uHAR#Berylpic.twitter.com/Hy1oz1iouZ
“There is an increasing risk of damaging hurricane-force winds and life-threatening storm surge in portions of northeastern Mexico and the lower and middle Texas coast late Sunday and Monday,” the center warned.
Texas officials warned the state’s entire coastline to brace for possible flooding, heavy rain and wind as they wait for a more defined path of the storm. On Friday, the hurricane center issued hurricane and storm surge watches for the Texas coast from the mouth of the Rio Grande north to San Luis Pass, less than 80 miles (128.75 kilometers) south of Houston.
The storm made landfall on the Mexican coast near Tulum as a Category 2 storm early Friday.
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the acting governor while Gov. Greg Abbott is traveling in Taiwan, issued a pre-emptive disaster declaration for 40 counties.
“Everyone along the (Texas) coast should be paying attention this storm,” Patrick said. “We hope and we pray for nothing more than a rain event.”
Some Texas coastal cities called for voluntary evacuations in low-lying areas prone to flooding, banned beach camping and urged tourists traveling on the July 4 holiday weekend to move recreational vehicles from coastal parks. In Corpus Christi, city officials announced it had distributed 10,000 sandbags in less than two hours Friday, exhausting its supply.
Beryl already spread destruction in Jamaica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Barbados this week. Three people have been reported dead in Grenada, three in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, three in Venezuela and two in Jamaica, officials said.
Mexican authorities had moved some tourists and residents out of low-lying areas around the Yucatan Peninsula before landfall, but tens of thousands remained to tough out the strong winds and storm surge. Much of the area around Tulum is just a few yards (meters) above sea level.
The city was plunged into darkness when the storm knocked out power as it came ashore. Screeching winds set off car alarms across the town. Wind and rain continued to whip the seaside city and surrounding areas Friday morning. Army brigades roved the streets of the tourist city, clearing fallen trees and power lines.
After seeing Beryl tear through the Caribbean, 37-year-old Lucía Nagera Balcaza was among those who stocked up on food and hid away in their homes.
“Thank god, we woke up this morning and everything was all right,” she said. “The streets are a disaster, but we’re out here cleaning up.”
Although no dead or wounded have been reported, nearly half of Tulum continued to be without electricity, said Laura Velázquez, national coordinator of Mexican Civil Protection.
While many in the Yucatan Peninsula took a deep breath, Jamaica and other islands ravaged by the hurricane were still reeling. Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness promised swift relief for residents after visiting one of the worst-affected areas of the island, the southern parish of St Elizabeth on Thursday.
Before the storm hit Mexico, officials had set up shelters in schools and hotels. When the wind began gusting over Tulum’s beaches Thursday, officials on four-wheelers with megaphones rolled along the sand telling people to leave and authorities evacuated beachside hotels. Sea turtle eggs were even moved off beaches threatened by storm surge.
Tourists also took precautions. Lara Marsters, 54, a therapist visiting Tulum from Boise, Idaho, said she had filled up empty water bottles from the tap.
“We’re going to hunker down and stay safe,” she said.
___
Vertuno reported from Austin, Texas. Associated Press writers John Myers Jr. and Renloy Trail in Kingston, Jamaica; Mark Stevenson and Megan Janetsky in Mexico City; Coral Murphy Marcos in San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Lucanus Ollivierre on Union Island, St. Vincent and Grenadines also contributed to this report.
TWO NEWS STARTS NOW AND FIRST AT 11, A NEW TROPICAL STORM HAS FORMED OUT IN THE ATLANTIC. FIRST WARNING CHIEF METEOROLOGIST TONY MAINOLFI IS TRACKING THE PATH. IT IS TAKING THROUGH THE CARIBBEAN TONIGHT. YEAH, I’LL TELL YOU WHAT. THIS ONE IS MOVING OFF TOWARDS THE WEST GUYS AND IS LIKELY TO BECOME THE SEASON’S FIRST HURRICANE. AS WE HEAD INTO THE WEEKEND. BEAUTIFUL SYMMETRY TONIGHT. VERY CONCENTRIC CENTER OF THUNDERSTORMS THERE. RIGHT AROUND THAT CORE. WINDS ARE UP TO 40 MILES AN HOUR MOVING STEADILY NOW OFF TOWARDS THE WEST. PRESSURE’S BEEN HOLDING STEADY THERE. AT ABOUT 1006 MILLIBARS. HERE’S THE UPDATED CONE NOW FROM THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER. THIS ONE A CATEGORY HURRICANE THERE BY ABOUT 8:00 IN THE EVENING. IT MAY EVEN BE EARLIER THAN THAT. BASED ON THE TRENDS WE’RE SEEING TONIGHT, A LOT OF THE COMPUTER MODELS HERE TAKE THIS GRADUALLY OFF TOWARDS THE WEST NORTHWEST. THE TREND IS NOT DEVIATED NORTH OF CUBA, AND THERE’S A GOOD REASON FOR THAT. AS WE TAKE A LOOK AT THE INTENSITY FORECAST HERE TO THE ONE MODEL, THE H WHARF STILL HAS A CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE. BUT BACK TO THOSE TRACKS. HERE’S OUR CONE. WHAT’S IMPORTANT FOR FLORIDA IS THIS BIG DOME, THIS BIG RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE. THIS IS OUR BEST FRIEND FROM PREVENTING THIS STORM SYSTEM FROM TURNING UP TO THE NORTH. IF THAT DOES PAN OUT AND THIS DOESN’T GET TOO STRONG AND TRY TO MAKE THAT CURVE BETWEEN THAT WEAKNESS, ALL SHOULD CONTINUE TO DIRECT THIS ONE OFF TOWARDS THE WEST NORTHWEST. PLENTY OF TIME TO WATCH IT. BUT WHAT’S INTERESTING TO NOTE NOT ONLY DO WE HAVE BERYL RIGHT BEHIND IT, THERE’S ANOTHER FEATURE BY BOTH THE GFS AND THE EUROPEAN COMPUTER MODELS THAT MAY TAKE THE SAME EXACT TRACK, SO THERE COULD BE A12 PUNCH THERE IN THE WINDWARD ISLES OVER TOWARDS JAMAICA AND MAYBE EVEN THE SOUTH SIDE OF HAITI AND OVER TOWARDS THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. WE’LL KEEP YOU POSTED ON THAT FOR NOW THOUGH. KEEP CHECKING BACK IN. BUT I’M FEELING PRETTY GOOD BASED ON TONIGHT’S COMPUTER
Tropical Storm Beryl forms, could become first hurricane of the season this weekend
Updated: 12:06 AM EDT Jun 29, 2024
Tropical Storm Beryl officially formed Friday night, according to the National Hurricane Center. The NHC said Tropical Storm Beryl is expected to strengthen and possibly become a hurricane when it reaches the Windward Islands Sunday night or Monday. Related: WESH 2 Hurricane Survival Guide 2024This could bring heavy rain, hurricane-force winds, dangerous storm surges and waves.Tropical Storm Beryl initially developed as Invest 95-L and was later upgraded to a tropical depression on Friday afternoon before strengthening into a tropical storm. More tropicsThe NHC is also monitoring Invest 94-L and a tropical wave.Related: Hurricane KidCast: What’s a hurricane? And more answers to kids’ questionsRelated: Surviving the Season | 2024 Hurricane Special from WESH 2
Tropical Storm Beryl officially formed Friday night, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The NHC said Tropical Storm Beryl is expected to strengthen and possibly become a hurricane when it reaches the Windward Islands Sunday night or Monday.
This could bring heavy rain, hurricane-force winds, dangerous storm surges and waves.
Tropical Storm Beryl initially developed as Invest 95-L and was later upgraded to a tropical depression on Friday afternoon before strengthening into a tropical storm.
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Looks like we will have Tropical Storm Beryl at 11 pm just waiting on the official word from the Hurricane Center. Beryl will become a hurricane, first of the season, over the weekend. #weshwxpic.twitter.com/nLCNeDVmwE
CRYSTAL BEACH, Texas – The Houston area dodged the worst of Tropical Storm Alberto, but that doesn’t mean we got away without a scratch.
Our barrier islands took a beating from Alberto’s storm surge. Galveston Bay and nearby barrier islands saw two to four feet of storm surge roll onto the island.
For communities on the Bolivar Peninsula, this turned out to be a devastating punch to their solo line of defense when it comes to fending back the angry waters of the Gulf of Mexico: sand dunes.
Crystal Beach on Bolivar Peninsula after storm surge from Tropical Storm Alberto ate away at the coastline. Photo: June 20, 2024 (Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)
“This ain’t a storm. This is disturbance out in the Gulf,” said Crystal Beach resident Shane Stone. “It’s 400 miles away and look what it’s done.”
In some areas of Crystal Beach, roughly 25 yards worth of sand dunes were seemingly washed out overnight.
Some homes are now exposed to the elements at their foundation with the waves from the Gulf nearly hitting their pilings.
At one home in the Tidelands community, the entire backyard and dunes were washed away.
A backyard in Crystal Beach on the Bolivar Peninsula eroded away by the storm surge from Tropical Storm Alberto on June 20, 2024. (Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)
“Every bit of 10 to 12 foot height. Gone,” said Stone.
For the second day in a row on Thursday, storm surge was eating away at the beach and dunes.
Residents recorded video of sand literally washing away in front of them.
“This used to be all yard. These dunes was over this,” Stone explained. “We’re going to lose these houses.”
Sand dunes are one of the best ways to hold back the Gulf of Mexico’s destructive storm surge.
At Florida Gulf Coast University, researchers are employing the help of LIDAR-equipped drones to map the beach before, immediately and after Hurricane Ian.
Their findings show that storm surge takes two swings at their target: once on the way in and again on the way out.
“We realized that the storm surge actually causes problems twice, once coming in the so-called flood surge and once going out the ebb surge,” said Dr. Mike Savarese with The Water School at Florida Gulf Coast University. “And that returning water created, oh, horrendous conditions, in fact, most of the damage.”
It’s that ebb surge that’s ripping away the dunes from Bolivar Peninsula.
“Could you imagine if we actually have a hurricane,” Stone said. “A category one, category two. What it’s going to do?”
A backyard in Crystal Beach on the Bolivar Peninsula eroded away by the storm surge from Tropical Storm Alberto on June 20, 2024. (Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)
A Galveston County spokesperson told KPRC2′s Gage Goulding on Thursday that crews are still evaluating the extent of the damage.
Then they’ll be able to devise a plan to mitigate the damage until the end of hurricane season.
But the reality is, it’ll take time and that’s the one thing residents don’t have with another tropical system already brewing in the Gulf.
“Unfortunately, I think we’re doomed,” Stone said.
Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.
The National Hurricane Center increased odds for development n the Bay of Campeche to 60% tonight. A broad area of low pressure is forecast to form over the southwestern Gulf of Mexico in a day or two and could make a slow trek north towards Texas. While any kind of named development or landfall is still unclear, those kinds of impacts are not expected at this point for Southeast Texas. Regardless, potentially three days of rounds of tropical rains is expected Monday through Wednesday of next week. Street and low-lying area flooding is possible with these showers across the region. For the coastline, coastal flooding as well as high tides and strong rip currents are expected all of next week as this system spins to the south.
Additonaly, ther eis a new area of potential development off the east coast of Florida and over the Bahamas. There’s a 20 percent chance for development there. Regardless, this tropical wave could send more heavy rains to Florida, a state that already got walloped by heavy rains last week.
June 15
The odds of development on a potential storm in the Southern Gulf of Mexico remain at 50%, but regardless of any development we can expect impacts here in Southeast Texas. Heavy rains capable of street flooding, strong rip currents, and minor coastal flooding are possible Monday through Thursday. While the likely outcome is that the center of circulation moves west into Mexico, the surge of deeper tropical moisture could bring 3-6 inches of rain or more to parts of southeast Texas. We have Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday as ABC13 Weather Watch days.
June 14 Evening Update
The National Hurricane Center holds the tropical development odds at 50% for the tropical low expected to spin up over the southwest Gulf of Mexico. Regardless of development, heavy rains, strong rip currents, and minor coastal flooding still look likely along Texas beaches. Because the low pressure has not yet developed, uncertainty remains on the exact impacts for Texas. Our most likely scenario remains that the low slides west into Mexico, keeping the significant flooding rains over Mexico and South Texas. If the low forms farther north than we are expecting, then a pathway toward South Texas is possible, which would increase our rain chances and amounts. We are keeping you on “Weather Watch” for now on Monday through Wednesday when the majority of local impacts are expected to occur.
June 14
We are monitoring an area of disturbed weather for potential tropical development in the southwest Gulf of Mexico over the Bay of Campeche for early next week. The National Hurricane Center has given this area a 50% chance of development over the next 7 days. While the core of the system will likely drift west into Mexico, tropical moisture from that system is expected to move into Texas after Father’s Day, increasing our chances for heavy rainfall and street flooding. There will also be a steady current of strong southeasterly winds that will likely lead to dangerous rip currents, high seas, and minor coastal flooding. We’ve now got you on “Weather Watch” Monday through Wednesday when we expect the majority of our local impacts from this tropical weather system.
June 13 Evening Update
The National Hurricane Center holds the tropical development odds at 40% for the tropical low expected to spin up over the southwest Gulf of Mexico. Regardless of development, heavy rains, strong rip currents, and minor coastal flooding are looking like along Texas beaches. Because the low pressure has not yet developed, there is still some uncertainty on the exact impacts for Texas. Interestingly, an AI version of one of our main tropical computer models is trending toward a track into South Texas. Watch this evening’s tropical update video for a deeper discussion on that development. While we await more certainty, we’ve put you on “Weather Watch” for now on Monday through Wednesday when the majority of local impacts are expected to occur.
June 13
Tropical development in the western Gulf of Mexico has increased to 40% over the next 7 days. Regardless of development, heavy rains, strong rip currents, and minor coastal flooding are looking like along Texas beaches. Because the low pressure has not yet developed, there is still some uncertainty on the exact impacts for Texas. For now, prepare for the possibility of torrential tropical downpours returning to Southeast Texas Monday through Wednesday of next week.
June 12 Evening Update
The odds of tropical development in the western Gulf of Mexico have increased to 30% over the next week. Regardless of development, heavy rains, strong rip currents, and minor coastal flooding are looking like along Texas beaches. Because the low pressure has not yet developed, there is still some uncertainty on the exact impacts for Texas. For now, prepare for the possibility of torrential tropical downpours returning to Southeast Texas Monday through Wednesday of next week.
June 12
Monitoring two areas of tropical development in the Gulf of Mexico. Formation odds remain low for both. A broad area of low pressure near the Gulf coast of Florida is producing a large area of showers and thunderstorms. This is system is expected to move off the Southeast coast later this week.
There is also an area over the southwestern Gulf of Mexico that needs to be watched for potential development. Regardless of development, deep tropical moisture could move into Texas after Father’s Day, increasing our chances for heavy rainfall and gusty winds early next week.
June 11
The National Hurricane Center is monitoring a large area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. This system is expected to move northeast toward Florida during the next day or so and offshore of the U.S. Southeast coast later this week. Slow development is possible over the next 7 days, but the probability remains low at 20%. Regardless of development heavy rainfall is expected across portions of Florida during the next few days.
We are also monitoring the southern Gulf of Mexico over the next several days as it is possible a tropical low may try to spin up and that tropical moisture could move into Texas after Father’s Day, increasing our chances for heavy rainfall.
June 10
No tropical development is expected in the Atlantic or eastern Pacific basins over the next week. In the next 6-12 days we’ll be watching for a tropical low to bring in deep tropical moisture into the Gulf, but as of now it’s just a potential system that we are keeping an eye on. The average date of the first named storm in the Atlantic is June 20th.
June 9
No tropical development is expected over the next 7 days. We are keeping on our eyes on the potential for some broad low pressure to develop late next week in the gulf, which will spread deeper tropical moisture into Florida, but shouldn’t impact our weather over the next week. Beyond that we’ll monitor to see if any of that deeper tropical moisture makes it here into Southeast Texas as we move into the week after Father’s Day.
June 8
There remains no immediate threat of any tropical troubles, with no development expected in the Atlantic Basin over the next 7 days. In the next 8-14 days we’ll be watching for a tropical low to bring in deep tropical moisture into the Gulf, but as of now it’s just a potential system that we are keeping an eye on.
June 7
In the short term (through this weekend and into next week), there are no tropical systems with no development expected.
In the longer-term (mid-to-late June) we are keeping an eye on the southern Gulf and western Caribbean for potential development.
June 6
The tropics remain quiet for now and tropical development is not expected through the weekend.
The Climate Prediction Center has highlighted an area over the western Caribbean, or southeast Gulf of Mexico for tropical development between June 12-15. Tropical development will be possible in this area due to low wind shear and record warm waters over the Caribbean and Gulf. We’ll be watching it closely.
June 5
The Atlantic Basin remains quiet and no tropical formation is expected over the next 7 days.
June 4
No tropical development expected over the next 7 days as another dust cloud moves off the coast of Africa.
June 3
There are no tropical threats across the Gulf of Mexico, or across the Atlantic Basin for the next 7 days.
In the eastern Pacific, a weak area of low pressure is located several hundred miles south of the coast of southern Mexico. Environmental conditions do not appear favorable for significant tropical development, and the system is expected to weaken during the next day or so.
June 2
Hurricane season is starting off on a quiet note. No development is expected in the Atlantic Basin over the next 7 days. With record warm waters and low wind-shear, it won’t stay quiet for long.
June 1
June 1st marks the first day of the Atlantic hurricane season. There are no major threats across the Gulf of Mexico, or across the Atlantic Basin for the next 7 days. Widespread dust moving off the coast of Africa will also limit tropical development.
2024 Outlook
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has issued its highest-on record hurricane forecast for the 2024 hurricane season. But when it comes to life along the Texas Gulf Coast, ABC13 meteorologists explain exactly what Houston-area residents need to know to plan ahead, and protect their families.
All categories of storms are expected to exceed the typical number seen every year, National Weather Service forecasters announced Thursday in a news conference for the 2024 hurricane outlook.
NOAA scientists predict between 17 and 25 named storms, compared to an average of 14; between eight and 13 hurricanes, compared to an average of seven; and between four and seven major hurricanes, compared to an average of three.
HOUSTON – As you prepare for hurricane season by prepping for your family, first responders in Houston are doing the same.
At the Houston Fire Department, firefighters are training just in case the Houston area finds itself in the path of a hurricane this season.
Part of that training includes rescuing people from fast-rising water or flooded-out communities.
“Swift water is dangerous,” said Captain Michael O’Hare of the Houston Fire Department. “We are that last line of defense Before they are hurt.”
Captain O’Hare is among the group of leaders heading the training at Schlitterbahn Waterpark on Galveston.
There, the men and women of the Houston Fire Department are earning their name of “Houston’s Bravest.”
The training scenarios put firefighters in real work scenarios with real consequences for just one wrong step.
A Houston firefighters training for hurricane season at Schlitterbahn Waterpark on May 15, 2024. Photo by Jack Quillin (Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)
“This opens eyes, but this doesn’t come close to the real forces that you’ll be dealing with,” Captain O’Hare said.
So why are we at a waterpark?
“Schlitterbahn is nice enough to give us a couple days to run the pumps up,” Captain O’Hare said.
The different kinds of currents and pools give Houston Firefighters the opportunity to get a feel for some of the different kinds of swift water they could encounter.
KPRC 2′s Gage Goulding was invited to tag along for an exclusive opportunity to train alongside firefighters to get a taste of just how difficult their training really is.
KPRC2 reporter Gage Goulding training alongside Houston firefighters ahead of hurricane season at Schlitterbahn Waterpark on May 15, 2024. Photo by Jack Quillin (Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)
The first session involved flipping a capsized inflatable rescue boat.
“If our boats are caught sideways in the current, they will probably knock over,” Captain O’Hare said.
When that happens, one of the firefighters swims under the boat and braces themselves in the air pocket.
Meanwhile, on the top, another firefighter is using their body weight to pull on straps and flip the boat upright.
“This is what we want our guys to realize before they do get inside the water the first time,” said Firefighter Christopher Cullen.
Next, firefighters headed over to the not-so-lazy river for some defensive swimming training.
“Our feet are up and in front in case we encounter something under the water that we can’t see,” Captain O’Hare explained.
A Houston Firefighter training for hurricane season at Schlitterbahn Waterpark on May 15, 2024. Photo by Jack Quillin (Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)
In this instance, it’s a giant plastic tube, which could be a floating tree or telephone pole.
“Things that we call strainers, or anything that is stopped in the water, that if we get wedged up against, we won’t be able to recover,” said Captain O’Hare. “So, we learn how to swim over those or to divert around them.”
The easy part is floating on your back and letting the current push you along. But flipping around and getting over the obstacle is no walk on the beach.
Gage Goulding: “It wasn’t that bad. But the camera doesn’t do it justice.”
KPRC2 reporter Gage Goulding training alongside Houston firefighters ahead of hurricane season at Schlitterbahn Waterpark on May 15, 2024. Photo by Jack Quillin (Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)
The Houston Fire Department saved the best training for last – one that was introduced with the following statement: “We’re not here to get hurt.”
At the Boogie Bahn, crews crank up the water blasting at our feet.
“This isn’t normal training where you go out and just do it,” Cullen said.
The goal is to work as a team and move sideways through the swift water, using only a paddle to check for dangers in front of them.
“A lot of people, they see this skinny moving water and think it is not moving very fast,” said Cullen. “And since it’s not moving very fast and it’s not deep, they think they can cross it.”
KPRC 2′s Gage Goulding was voted to the front of the pyramid by his fellow teammates.
KPRC2 reporter Gage Goulding training alongside Houston firefighters ahead of hurricane season at Schlitterbahn Waterpark on May 15, 2024. Photo by Jack Quillin (Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)
Two Houston firefighters were holding Gage down by his life vest while he moved sideways through the water, breaking up the pressure for those behind him.
They made it most of the way through the water, but where the current was its strongest, we lost one of our teammates.
It wasn’t long until everyone fell.
Christopher Cullen: “We’re going to put you in some harm’s way, and you might get some bumps and bruises on it. That’s the only way you’re going to learn from it.”
Gage Goulding: “So how did I do with everything? Be honest.”
Christopher Cullen: “I think you did great. I mean, you saw everybody falling down. That gets everybody over there.”
While it might look like fun and games, it’s a very important experience for firefighters to get their feet wet when it comes to dangerous flood waters.
A Houston Firefighter training for hurricane season at Schlitterbahn Waterpark on May 15, 2024. Photo by Jack Quillin (Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)
“We don’t want our guys to walk out and haven’t been introduced to that type of water before,” Cullen said.
While they’re preparing for hurricane season, they use this knowledge year-round.
In early May during historic rainfalls and flooding, the Houston Fire Department deployed their swift water teams to rescue those caught in the flood waters or trapped in their homes.
“The opportunity for us to go in and help evacuate people; It’s good for refreshing us and boat operations and safety factors,” Captain O’Hare said.
While they hope everyone heeds warnings, evacuates and never finds themselves in harm’s way – they need to be ready just in case.
“If something does happen, you’re going to have a team that’s ready to come get you,” Cullen said.
Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.
