Erin, Puerto Rico and National Hurricane Center
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North Texas experienced a typical summer day with mostly sunny skies and a slight chance of overnight showers. Similar conditions are expected tomorrow. Meanwhile, Hurricane Erin rapidly intensified overnight,
Tropical Storm Erin has moved into an area of the Atlantic where conditions are allowing it to strengthen as it slowly approaches hurricane strength.
Invest 98L, the tropical system that emerged near Mexico early Wednesday, Aug. 13, is tracking toward Texas. Will it impact the state?
As the Gulf disturbance nears Texas, tropical moisture will surge Friday and Saturday in the Houston metro area, leading to increasing storm chances.
Tropical Storm Erin is expected to become a hurricane later today, Aug. 15, and a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph over the weekend. A major hurricane is a Category 3 or stronger, with maximum sustained winds of at least 111 mph.
Hurricane Erin became the first hurricane of the season on Friday, while another storm system off the Texas coast may bring heavy rain to South Texas.
If this storm becomes more organized before it moves over land, it would become Tropical Storm Fernand. A potential tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico could form and make landfall in Texas or Mexico before Erin even threatens land.
A short-lived tropical depression could form near the Texas coastline on Friday, according to the National Hurricane Center. Invest 98-L is producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms at about 75 miles off the coast of the southern Texas coastline.