Tropical Storm Hanna Heads for Texas Gulf Coast; Inland Flooding a Danger into Northeast Mexico

Tropical Storm Hanna formed in the Gulf of Mexico Thursday night and is headed toward a Texas landfall Saturday, with the potential for dangerous rainfall flash flooding extending well inland into northeast Mexico.

Locally heavy rain will spread well inland in South Texas into parts of northeast Mexico. This locally heavy rain could persist into Sunday, perhaps Monday, particularly in northeast Mexico.

Rainfall totals of over 5 inches are possible in these areas, with locally higher amounts where bands of rain stall for a period of a few hours. This could lead to dangerous flash flooding and some river flooding, particularly in the mountainous terrain of Mexico's Coahuila, Nuevo Leon and northern Tamaulipas states.

Tropical storm-force winds could develop as soon as tonight or Saturday morning and are most likely along or near the Texas Coastal Bend. These winds are capable of some tree damage and sporadic power outages.

Persistent winds blowing onshore to the east of Hanna may produce areas of high surf, rip currents and possibly some minor coastal flooding at high tide, particularly along the northern Gulf Coast.