TAMPICO, Mexico (AP) — Tropical Storm Alberto formed on Wednesday in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico, the first named storm of what is forecast to be a busy hurricane season. Alberto, which is bringing strong winds, heavy rainfall and some flooding along the coasts of Texas and Mexico, is expected to make landfall in northern Mexico early Thursday. “The heavy rainfall and the water, as usual, is the biggest story in tropical storms,” said Michael Brennan, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Hurricane Center.
The National Hurricane Center said late Wednesday that Alberto was located about 135 miles (220 kilometers) east of Tampico, Mexico, and about 320 miles (510 kilometers) south-southeast of Brownsville, Texas, with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 kph). The storm was moving west at 9 miles per hour. The center of the storm was expected to reach the northeastern coast of Mexico south of the mouth of the Rio Grande by Thursday morning.
As much as 5 inches (13 centimeters) to 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain was expected in some areas along the Texas coast, with even higher isolated totals possible, Brennan said. He said some higher locations in Mexico could see as much as 20 inches (50 centimeters) of rain, which could result in mudslides and flash flooding, especially in the states of Tamaulipas, Coahuila and Nuevo Leon. The municipal government of Tampico, a port city in Tamaulipas state, announced Wednesday afternoon t.
