Tropical Storm Don: Winds Calm Near to Texas Coastline
Tropical Storm Don has significantly weakened as it approaches the Texas coast Friday night, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami has reported.
At 10 p.m., the storm was approaching Baffin Bay with maximum sustained winds of 35 miles per hour.
Don has steadily been moving west-northwest at speeds of 14 mph. At 10 p.m. Friday, the center reported the tropical storm was about forty miles south of Corpus Christi, Texas.
The tropical storm warning issued on Thursday for the Texas coast has been lifted and no other coastal watches or warnings are in affect wrote the NHC.
Don is expected to disperse by Saturday as it moves further inland. The National Hurricane Center warns, “Wind gusts could still be experienced over water to the north and east of the center.”
These conditions should continue over the next several hours.
The center reported that storm surge and tides would keep water levels raised as high as one to two feet above ground level. This is true for areas along the Texas south coast. The high water levels will begin to recede as the storm moves inland.
Unfortunately for the region suffering a drought currently, the amount of rainfall expected has also dissipated. South Texas is predicted to receive only one to two inches, according to the center.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has labeled this as the third worst drought in the state’s recorded history. The decrease in rainfall is bad news for farmers dealing with dried-up cattle ponds and farm fields in the Lone Star state.
A complete advisory report from the NCH on the movement of tropical storm Don is expected at 4 a.m. Saturday morning.
