Saturday Morning Hurricane Harvey Update

At 700 AM CDT (1200 UTC), the eye of Hurricane Harvey was located by NOAA Doppler radar near latitude 28.7 North, longitude 97.2 West. Harvey is moving toward the north-northwest near 6 mph (9 km/h). Harvey is expected to slow down through the day and meander over southeastern Texas through the middle of next week. Doppler radar data indicate that maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 80 mph (130 km/h) with higher gusts. These winds are confined to a small area near the eye of the hurricane. Additional weakening is forecast, and Harvey is likely to become a tropical storm later today. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 35 miles (55 km) from the center, and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 140 miles (220 km). The estimated minimum central pressure is 975 mb (28.79 inches). HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND ———————- RAINFALL: Harvey is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 15 to 30 inches and isolated maximum amounts of 40 inches over the middle and upper Texas coast through next Wednesday. During the same time period Harvey is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 5 to 15 inches in far south Texas, the Texas Hill Country and southwest and central Louisiana. Rainfall of this magnitude will cause catastrophic and life-threatening flooding. A list of rainfall observations compiled by the NOAA Weather Prediction Center can be found at: www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/discussions/nfdscc1.html STORM SURGE: 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 water is expected to reach the following heights above ground if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide… Port Aransas to Port O’Connor…6 to 12 ft Port O’Connor to Sargent…6 to 9 ft Sargent to Jamaica Beach…4 to 6 ft Baffin Bay to Port Aransas…3 to 6 ft Jamaica Beach to High Island…2 to 4 ft Mouth of the Rio Grande to Port Mansfield…1 to 3 ft High Island to Morgan City…1 to 3 ft The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near the area of onshore winds, where the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves. Surge-related flooding depends on the relative timing of the surge and the tidal cycle, and can vary greatly over short distances. For information specific to your area, please see products issued by your local National Weather Service forecast office. WIND: Hurricane conditions are occurring inland from the coast within Harvey’s eyewall, and hurricane-force winds, especially in gusts, are still possible near the middle Texas coast for the next several hours. Tropical storm conditions are occurring in other portions of the hurricane and tropical storm warning areas. Tropical storm conditions are likely to persist along portions of the coast through at least Sunday. SURF: Swells generated by Harvey are affecting the Texas, Louisiana, and northeast Mexico coasts. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions. Please consult products from your local weather office. TORNADOES: Tornadoes are possible today and tonight near the middle and upper Texas coast into far southwest Louisiana.