Tropical storm Harvey to make landfall as hurricane

Tropical Storm Harvey is beginning to intensify in the Gulf of Mexico, expected to make landfall on the Texas coastline as a hurricane. This hurricane will bring an extremely dangerous amount of rainfall to the coast of Texas and Louisiana as we head into the weekend.

The storm is expected to gain strength rapidly as it tracks towards the coastline. Harvey will be upgraded to hurricane status when winds reach in excess of 74 mph.

Hurricane and storm surge warnings are now issued in Texas along the Gulf of Mexico, where hurricane like conditions are likely within the next 36 hours.

Harvey is moving slowly to the northwest at 10 mph with sustained winds up to 65 mph. Favorable conditions will allow the tropical storm to make landfall as a category 1 or 2 hurricane late Friday into early Saturday. The exact track on this system is difficult due to it’s slow movement.

The greatest risk with this system looks to be high rainfall totals. After tracking inland, Harvey looks to stall, allowing for dangerous rainfall amounts, leading to flash flooding. Widespread rainfall looks to range from 10-15″, with localized amounts up to 25″. Torrential rainfall looks likely along the coast of both Texas and Louisiana, including Corpus Christi and Houston.

Wind speeds don’t look to be extreme, but could be persistent as the storm stalls.

The ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather Team will continue to track this system as it makes landfall on the Gulf Coast.