A disturbance gathering spin over Gulf of Mexico will drift onshore in coastal Texas before the end of the week with drenching showers and locally gusty thunderstorms.
The system began as a cluster of thunderstorms over the interior Southeastern states late last week and drifted slowly westward over the northern Gulf since then.
According to AccuWeather.com Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski, “The system has potential to develop into a tropical system if it manages to stay offshore for a couple of days.”
This animated gif shows an area of disturbed weather in the western Gulf of Mexico drifting toward the Texas coast. (NOAA/Satellite)
There is a chance the system will become the fifth tropical depression and fourth tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season.
The system is forecast to wobble very slowly toward the Texas coast through the end of the week.
Oil platforms off the Texas coast with weather instruments up to several hundred feet above the surface of the Gulf have been recording wind gusts between 20 and 40 mph Wednesday.
Showers and thunderstorms will push in from the Gulf into coastal and South Texas, and will reach from Houston to Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville and Laredo during the latter part of the week.
The disturbance will bring the risk of localized flash flooding and damaging thunderstorms, and could spoil a day at the beach. As the system continues to generate winds and waves along the Texas, there is an increasing risk of rough surf and strong rip currents through Friday.
A couple of waterspouts and brief tornadoes being spawned by the disturbance.
On a positive note, the system will bring needed rainfall to some areas. Much of South Texas is experiencing drought this summer.
As a non-tropical system moves in from the west and joins up with the disturbance, drenching showers and thunderstorms may become more widespread over central and northeast Texas during the first part of the Labor Day weekend.
Significant rainfall is not forecast to reach into the Big Bend area of the state with the disturbance or the system from the west.
WHAT TO TAKE AWAY FROM THIS ARTICLE:
- As a non-tropical system moves in from the west and joins up with the disturbance, drenching showers and thunderstorms may become more widespread over central and northeast Texas during the first part of the Labor Day weekend.
- Showers and thunderstorms will push in from the Gulf into coastal and South Texas, and will reach from Houston to Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville and Laredo during the latter part of the week.
- Significant rainfall is not forecast to reach into the Big Bend area of the state with the disturbance or the system from the west.
