A Hurricane Threat For Texas

Three tropical storms were reported over the weekend and forecasters predicted that one of them could hit the U.S. mainland later this week.

Storms Cristobal and Dolly formed in the Atlantic, while Hurricane Fausto originated in the Pacific.

The National Weather Service said Tropical Storm Dolly may reach hurricane status sometime late tomorrow or early Wednesday with sustained wind above 75 mph.

A hurricane watch is currently in effect from Rio San Fernando, Mexico, across the border to Port O’Connor, Texas.

A tropical storm warning was issued for the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico and discontinued this afternoon.

Tropical Storm Cristobal came within 30 miles of the North Carolina coastline near Cape Hatteras before proceeding northeast and is expected to proceed in that direction off the U.S. coast for the rest of the week. The National Weather Service said the storm is expected to begin breaking up late tomorrow. Winds reached maximum sustained speeds of 65 mph today.

Minor flooding was reported from Cristobal, which the National Weather Service said would drop up to four inches of rain in some places.

Hurricane Fausto was not being called a threat to any of the American mainland as it speeds out in the Pacific with sustained winds up 80 mph. The storm was last located 475 miles west/southwest of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and is expected to weaken in the coming days as it heads further west into the Pacific.

In a statement Neena Saith, catastrophe response manager with catastrophe modeler RMS, said, “While most forecast models suggest favorable environmental conditions for the storm [Dolly] to intensify over the Gulf of Mexico, there are wide discrepancies in its estimated strength, ranging from a weak tropical storm to a strong Category 1 hurricane.”

She said the timing between some models and the National Weather Service’s National Hurricane Center differs by 12 hours but all agree Dolly will become a hurricane. The National Hurricane Center said Dolly could become a hurricane by late tomorrow while others put it by early Wednesday.

The storm should reach landfall by Thursday, she said.

Ms. Saith went on to say that temperatures in the southern Gulf of Mexico are “sufficiently warm” to strengthen a storm. Dolly could drop up to 10 inches of rain across the Northern Yucatan and some evacuation has been ordered.