Hurricane Patricia's Remnants to Add to Texas Flood Disaster

October 24,2015



 
Record-breaking Hurricane Patricia pushed rapidly inland over mountainous western Mexico early Saturday, weakening to a tropical depression while dumping torrential rains that authorities warned could cause deadly floods and mudslides.
Patricia's remnants will soon threaten Texas, where rainfall from another system is already causing flash flooding.

The Latest on Patricia

At 10 a.m. CDT Saturday, the center of Tropical Depression Patricia was located 95 miles (155 km) northeast of Zacatecas, Mexico, and was moving toward the north-northeast at 24 mph (39 kph). Maximum sustained winds were 35 mph, a decrease of 40 mph from the 4 a.m. advisory, when it was still a hurricane.

Latest Advisory

The eye of Hurricane Patricia made landfall Friday at 6:15 p.m. CDT near Cuixmala in Jalisco state of southwest Mexico. Maximum sustained winds at landfall were estimated at 165 mph, still firmly within the Category 5 range on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
An automated weather observation site in Cuixmala reported a 185-mph wind with a gust of 211 mph at the time of landfall, but NOAA cautioned that these measurements have not been evaluated for quality or calibration.
The landfall point was about 60 miles (96 km) northwest of Manzanillo, where tropical storm-force winds likely occurred.
Patricia will continue to rapidly weaken and should dissipate later Saturday over Mexico.

Forecast Path

Patricia to Add to Texas Flash Floods

While Patricia's wind circulation will not survive the journey across Mexico's mountains, its moisture will. This will add to an already dangerous flooding situation unfolding across the eastern two-thirds of Texas.

Rainfall Reports

Heavy rain is already causing flash flooding across parts of north and central Texas. Corsicana, Texas, has already received more than 18 inches of rain since Thursday, causing serious flash flooding.
Houston, Texas was hit especially hard Saturday night with excessive rainfall. Many roadways were reported to be under water.

Current Radar

Flash flood watches include more than 10 million people in Texas and Louisiana.

Flood Watches and Warnings

The remnants of Patricia may help to spawn a non-tropical low pressure center near the Texas coast this weekend, helping focus a stripe of heavy rain over southeast Texas.
Additional rainfall amounts in excess of 6 inches are expected in some areas by the end of Monday. Rainfall rates will exceed 2 inches per hour at times, leading to flash flooding.

Forecast Additional Rainfall

The focus of the heavy rainfall will shift east across Texas on Sunday, spreading across Louisiana and western to southern Mississippi.

Sunday Forecast

By Monday, the heaviest rain will move into eastern Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and perhaps the western panhandle of Florida.

Monday Forecast

Tidal Flooding a Major Concern

Southeasterly winds have been blowing across the western Gulf of Mexico for several days, raising water levels along the Texas Gulf Coast.
Coastal flooding will continue to be a problem during high tide along the Gulf Coast of Texas and southwest Louisiana this weekend. The most significant coastal flooding is expected from roughly South Padre Island, Texas, to the Texas-Louisiana border. In those areas, water levels will be generally 2 to 4 feet above normal tide levels.
Voluntary evacuations were announced Saturday for the Bolivar Peninsula, just east of Galveston, Texas. The National Weather Service says water levels could reach nearly 5 feet above normal astronomical tides, and officials are concerned that the high storm tides and heavy rainfall could result in access to the peninsula being cut off.
Stay with The Weather Channel and weather.com for the latest on this dangerous situation.
MORE: Hurricane Patricia Strikes Mexico (PHOTOS)