| his updates are posted to our local weather board - here's his Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeffLindner1 ***Tropical storm or hurricane threat to TX late this week/weekend*** Residents along the entire TX coast should review hurricane preparation plans today and be fully ready to enact these plans. Widespread excessive rainfall/flood event increasingly likely Friday-Sunday Forecast trends overnight continue to suggest that the tropical wave currently crossing the Yucatan will emerge into the southern Gulf of Mexico early Wednesday. The well defined, yet weakening, upper level low now S of Lake Charles will continue to move westward and weaken allowing the continued break down of sub-tropical ridging across TX. This will allow the developing tropical system over the southern Gulf of Mexico to turn NW and NNW toward the TX coast. Nearly all global model guidance is now N of the TX/MX border with landfalls anywhere from Freeport, TX to near Brownsville, TX. The general consensus track is in the region bounded by Corpus Christi on the south and Matagorda Bay on the north. While the model spread is fairly large, the timing is fairly similar and has been for the last 24-36 hours that the system will landfall along the TX coast Friday evening. The forecast becomes incredibly complex near/after landfall as the upper level steering flow weakens and the system begins to slow down and possibly stall or meander over the region not far inland of the coast. This is the result of the system becoming caught in a "col" region between high pressure to our NW and our NE and a weak frontal zone which will stall Thursday north of I-10. It appears the system will eventually become caught in the frontal trough and slowly creep E/ENE across much of SC/SE TX into SW LA from Friday-Monday. Should this verify as suggested by several forecast models, rainfall and flooding would be "incredible" over the region. Intensity: Global models have become aggressive overnight with intensity with both the GFS and hurricane model HWRF showing significant intensification over the NW Gulf Thursday and Friday while the ECWMF, CMC, and UKMET show more modest intensification. It appears nearly everything will align for intensification over the NW Gulf with a 200mb high aloft, very warm SST's, and possibly the formation of an outflow channel to the south and north of the surface circulation which almost always supports intensificationsometimes rapid. The NW Gulf is certainly no stranger to the formation and rapid intensification of tropical systems and this must be watched very closely once the system enters the Gulf early Wednesday. General consensus of the intensity models bring the system to a minimal category 1 hurricane at landfall along the middle TX coast. Any slowing of the forward motion would only give the system more time to intensify across the NW Gulf.this must be watched very closely. Impacts: Impacts appear increasingly likely along the entire TX coast starting as early as Thursday along the lower TX coast and spreading northward on Friday into the middle and upper coast. Following the TVCN track of the major multi model consensus brings tropical storm conditions into the Matagorda Bay region on Friday with hurricane conditions possible over that region Friday night into Saturday morning. As long as the system does not become more than a category 1 hurricanethe legacy will likely become excessive rainfall and inland flooding. Major models are very aggressive and rightly so with some very impressive rainfall totals given the slow meandering motion near/after landfall. A very large portion of the state generally south of the I-10 corridor could see totals over 2-3 days of 10-15 inches with isolated amounts of 25+ inches. This is a potentially very serious flash flood and river flood threat for a large portion SC/SE TX and the coastal bend. Exact totals will be redefined with time as the track confidence increases Will not use WW3 guidance on coastal impacts as it is based off the highly aggressive GFS run. Instead will follow the TVCN track which would place at least TS force winds across all of the lower and mid coast waters on Friday and at least the western part of the upper coast waters Friday afternoon and night. Hurricane conditions possible Friday night mid coast into our western waters. Will bump seas to 6 feet Thursday as large long period swells begin to arrive out of the central Gulf which will likely start to push up tides. Will go with 12 feet on Friday with 18 ft over our offshore waters as conditions build to near hurricane force west of Palacios Friday night. Will certainly need to start looking at storm surge threat potential, but without a defined track nor guidance from NHC will just have to waitcertainly could see tides breach the 4.5 ft warning criteria over Matagorda Bay and portions of the upper coast on Friday night into Saturdaybut unsure how high they may go as this is very dependent on track and intensity. Much of these impacts will change over the next 24 hours and this is a very low confidence forecast. Residents along the TX coast should be closely monitoring weather information at least once a day. Hurricane plans should be in place and ready to be enacted over the next 24 hours. Tropical Storm or Hurricane watches and storm surge watches will likely be required for portions of the TX coast on Wednesday. |