Tropical Storm Beta to Drench Texas Coastline Next Week

Tropical Storm Beta is slowly drifting to the Gulf of Mexico's western part, likely to scrape the Texas coastline by early next week.

Beta showed the major threat of rainfall as it slowly gains strength, said a report from The Weather Channel. Other than the Texas Coastline, Louisiana is also expected to see coastal flooding.

Reports also showed that the Texas coastline has already seen some minor coastal flooding due to Beta.

Hurricane season is usually most active during September.

According to the New York Post, Beta is the 10th Atlantic storm so far this month. It is the highest recorded number for any September, said Colorado State University meteorologist Phil Klotzbach.

The threat of Beta comes as parts of Alabama and Florida Panhandle reel back from the damage of Hurricane Sally.

Warnings on storm surge and the tropical storm are being expanded as of Saturday evening. The Texas coast's 300-mile stretch is on a hurricane watch as the storm slowly gains strength in the Gulf of Mexico.

It is drifting toward the northeast.

The chances of Beta growing into a hurricane went down on Saturday. But it is still one of three active storms in the busy hurricane season.

"On the forecast track, the center of Beta will slowly approach the Texas coast Sunday and Monday," the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

As of 7 p.m. CDT Saturday, Beta was about 330 miles east-southeast of Corpus Christi, Texas. Its sustained winds stand at 60 mph, reported USA Today. The NHC noted that the storm had remained still for hours.

Warnings, Orders Issued

Officials in the Houston area issued voluntary evacuation warnings and disaster declaration.

Galveston County and the city of Galveston also issued voluntary evacuation orders.

Mayor Pro Tem Craig Brown issued a statement saying the high tides and 10 inches of forecasted rainfall could lead to impassable roads. This is likely to take place in the city's west and low-lying areas.

County Judge Mark Henry also said in a news conference Saturday that his concern is also based on storm surge concerns. But he assured that a mandatory evacuation is not expected.

Henry said that if a person can survive at home for three or four days without power, they will be fine. He added that the situation where people will end up without power is also still unsure.

He advised those who will need life support equipment to move somewhere else.

The mayor of Port Aransas, Texas, also issued a disaster declaration that closed beaches at 8 p.m. Saturday. This was so the city could brace of Beta.

The mayor first banned overnight camping by the beaches.

The NHC continues to look into two other storms across the Atlantic basin as of Saturday, said Orlando Sentinel.

Apart from Tropical Storm Beta, they are also looking at Hurricane Teddy and Tropical Storm Wilfred.

As Wilfred already took the last name in the 2020 hurricane season list, Beta was named using the Greek alphabet.

Check these out!

Tropical Storm Sally Forms Near Florida
Hurricane Sally Slams into Florida and Alabama; Rescues Underway for Widespread Flooding
Hurricane Sally Makes Landfall as Category 2 Storm in Alabama