Hurricane Hanna lashes virus-hit Texas coast
July 26, 2020
Hanna, the first Atlantic hurricane of 2020, was downgraded to a tropical storm early Sunday after it made landfall in the US state of Texas.
The category one storm came ashore at Padre Island packing winds of up to 90 miles (145 kilometers) an hour, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) announced on Twitter.
The NHC warned that despite losing strength, with winds dropping to 60 miles per hour, Hanna was still expected to bring heavy rains to parts of Texas and northern Mexico that will “result in life-threatening flash flooding.”
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There were no immediate reports of injuries or widespread damage.
Forecasters warned residents to brace themselves for 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 centimeters) of rainfall over a 24-hour period in the region, in addition to coastal swells that could cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.
"The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline,'' the Miami-based Hurricane Center said.
US President Donald Trump tweeted that his administration was closely monitoring Hanna, as well as Hurricane Douglas, which is approaching Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean.
Tornado threat
The threat of tornadoes also loomed overnight into Sunday for parts of the lower to middle Texas coastal plain, forecasters said. A tropical storm warning was still in effect on Sunday morning from Barra el Mezquital, Mexico, to Baffin Bay in Texas.
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Texas is currently grappling with a coronavirus outbreak, with several hotspots reported across the state. Earlier this week, officials in Corpus Christi in Nueces County said that 60 infants had tested positive for the coronavirus over the course of the first 16 days of this month.
Correction: This article's sub-headline previously stated that the storm was expected to hit two states in the US. In fact, the storm was expected to hit one state — Texas — and parts of northern Mexico.
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