Harvey gains strength in the Gulf of Mexico
Forecast: May hit Texas by Friday
The New York Times
The remnants of Tropical Storm Harvey gained strength in the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday, prompting tropical storm and hurricane watches for heavy rains, strong winds and flooding that could threaten the Gulf Coast over the next 48 hours, forecasters said.
The National Hurricane Center had said the storm could make landfall, affecting Houston and Corpus Christi, Texas, and New Orleans, among others.
The center updated its advisories Wednesday, saying hurricane conditions were possible by Friday for coastal areas from Port Mansfield, Texas, northeast to San Luis Pass, which is 25 miles southwest of Galveston, Texas.
Tropical storm and storm surge watches were in effect from the mouth of the Rio Grande to Port Mansfield, and from San Luis Pass to 60 miles northeast to High Island, Texas, it said. A life-threatening storm surge was possible, the center said.
“Tropical storm or even hurricane force winds are also possible along portions of the Texas coast, although it is too early to determine which areas could see these direct impacts,” the agency said on its website.
The center said in a statement Tuesday that if the system stalled after making landfall, it could mean a prolonged period of heavy rainfall and flooding across portions of Texas, Southwestern Louisiana and northeastern Mexico stretching into early next week.
“The hurricane hunter plane is in the area now and trying to find whether there are tropical storm force winds, but it looks like it is getting its act together,” Dennis Feltgen, a spokesman for the center, said in an interview on Wednesday morning.
Also on Wednesday, the Mexican government issued a tropical storm watch from Boca De Catán to the mouth of the Rio Grande. The outlook for southwestern Louisiana was less clear. The center said the authorities would monitor the storm’s progress.
Tropical Storm Harvey battered several islands in the eastern Caribbean last week with torrential rain and strong winds before dissipating.
Where the center of the storm redevelops will help guide it ultimately, Andy Hazelton, a postdoctoral research associate at NOAA, said on Twitter.
If the storm were to reach New Orleans, the impact could be particularly troubling. The city is still recovering from flooding this month after a severe thunderstorm made much of the city impassable — affecting hundreds of cars and properties — because a turbine that powered the majority of the city’s pumping systems failed on Aug. 9.