Hermine moves into the U.S.

Tropical Storm Hermine: Latest advisory

Hermine became the eighth tropical storm of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season early Monday morning.

The storm made landfall in northeastern Mexico Monday night as a strong tropical storm.

As of the 2 a.m. advisory on Tuesday, the center of Hermine has crossed the Rio Grande. Sustained tropical storm force winds occurring over portions of deep south Texas.

Watches and warnings

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for:

• Rio San Fernando, Mexico northward to Port O’Connor, Texas

Discussion and 48-hour outlook

At 2 a.m., the center of Tropical Storm Hermine was located near latitude 26.1 north, longitude 97.7 west.

Hermine is moving toward the north-northwest near 14 mph. A gradual turn toward the north and northeast is expected over the next couple of days.

On the forecast track, Hermine will continue to move inland over southern Texas today and into central Texas early on Wednesday.
 
Maximum sustained winds remain near 60 mph with higher gusts. Weakening is forecast, and Hermine is expected to become a tropical depression by this afternoon.
 
Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 105 miles, mainly to the northeast of the center. Sustained tropical storm force winds have been reported over portions of deep south Texas. Very recently, a sustained wind of 54 mph and a peak gust of 69 mph were reported at Harlingen, Texas within the past hour. A sustained wind of 45 mph and a peak gust of 69 mph were also reported at the Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport. 
 
The estimated minimum central pressure is 991 mb or 29.26 inches.

Hazards affecting land

Wind: Tropical storm conditions are occurring in the warning area and are expected to continue through this morning.

Storm surge: Storm surge will raise water levels by as much as 2 to 4 feet above ground level along the immediate coast of deep south Texas.

Rainfall:  Hermine is expected to produce rainfall accumulations of 4 to 8 inches over northeastern Mexico, and from southern Texas northward into north central Texas, with isolated maximum amounts of 12 inches possible. These rains could cause life-threatening flash floods.

Tornadoes:   Isolated tornadoes are possible along the lower and middle Texas coast through this morning.

Next advisories:

• Complete advisory: 5 a.m.