Tropical Storm Hanna Strengthening Gonzalo Weakening
Hurricane Douglas Hawaii Bound
It is a busy Friday night in the tropics with 2 tropical storms, 1 hurricane, and a few other things going on. We will start with Tropical Storm Hanna which is slowly but steadily on a westward course and headed for a landfall near Corpus Christi Texas on Saturday. Though the main threat is going to be heavy rains, Hanna is taking advantage of a solid outflow pattern and very warm Gulf of Mexico waters and has been slowly strengthening all day.
TROPICAL STORM HANNA SATELLITE
The satellite loop shows a well defined tropical storm signature as convection continues to wrap around the center. Winds are up to 50 mph and there is time for Hanna to gain a bit more strength before making landfall. The regional radar shows the rather large circulation of Hanna pinwheeling some bands westward this evening and we look for this to increase overnight as the storm draws closer to the coast.
REGIONAL RADAR
LOCATION…27.3N 94.3W
ABOUT 195 MI…310 KM E OF CORPUS CHRISTI TEXAS
ABOUT 195 MI…315 KM ENE OF PORT MANSFIELD TEXAS
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS…50 MPH…85 KM/H
PRESENT MOVEMENT…W OR 275 DEGREES AT 10 MPH…17 KM/H
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE…999 MB…29.50 INCHES
A Hurricane Warning is in effect for Baffin Bay to Mesquite Bay Texas. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the Mouth of the Rio Grande to Baffin Bay Texas and Mesquite Bay to San Luis Pass Texas. 6 inches or more of rain is forecast along and south of the storm track
Winds are a bit tricky since we need to allow for the possibility of additional strengthening before landfall. There is a chance that Hanna could reach hurricane strength before landfall as the storm seems to be responding to favorable conditions and the impressive convective pattern.
There is a moderate risk of hurricane force gusts in the brown area along and just inland of the South Texas coast. The fact that this system will be strengthening up until landfall means that there might be a few surprises regarding wind gusts as the storm nears shore.
There are no important changes to the forecast track as Hanna moves around the base of an upper high over the Lower and Middle Mississippi that extends westward into Texas. This accounts for the storm bending to the west southwest once it is well inland. Landfall will occur around midday Saturday. Weather conditions along the South Texas coast are deteriorating and will continue to worsen overnight.
TROPICAL STORM GONZALO
LOCATION…10.0N 55.6W
ABOUT 390 MI…625 KM E OF THE SOUTHERN WINDWARD ISLANDS
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS…40 MPH…65 KM/H
PRESENT MOVEMENT…W OR 270 DEGREES AT 18 MPH…30 KM/H
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE…1008 MB…29.77 INCHES
![](https://cdn.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/GOES16/ABI/SECTOR/car/GEOCOLOR/1000x1000.jpg")
The rather ragged and disorganized Tropical Storm Gonzalo is on the lower right and it is a mess. The last recon found several centers and convection which is strewn in all directions. The well defined core has weakened probably due to dry air from the north that has gotten involved. Gonzalo is also very small and you would have to be inside of 50 miles of the storm center to experience anything out of the ordinary.
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Barbados, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Tobago, Grenada and its dependencies. There is no change in the forecast track as Gonzalo will cross the Southern Windwards around the same time Saturday midday as Hanna will be making landfall in South Texas. After that whatever is left of this will move into the Caribbean where wind shear may make quick work of it and weaken it to a remnant low.
HURRICANE DOUGLAS HEADS FOR HAWAII HURRICANE WATCH POSTED
LOCATION…17.0N 143.5W
ABOUT 785 MI…1260 KM ESE OF HILO HAWAII
ABOUT 985 MI…1585 KM ESE OF HONOLULU HAWAII
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS…115 MPH…185 KM/H
PRESENT MOVEMENT…WNW OR 295 DEGREES AT 18 MPH…30 KM/H
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE…967 MB…28.56 INCHES
The threat to Hawaii continues to grow as Hurricane Douglas, which is still a major hurricane continues on a steady west northwest course. If the track doesn’t change from here, it could move directly over the Hawaiian Islands beginning sometimes early Sunday morning.
A Hurricane Watch is in effect for the Big Island of Hawaii, Maui County, including Maui, Lanai, Molokai and Kahoolawe. The forecast track from the National Hurricane Center in Honolulu Hawaii is a very close pass though it does weaken to a tropical storm as it moves across the islands. This is typical of hurricanes that come in from the west as they usually encounter cooler ocean water and often times hostile wind conditions aloft. The same east west ridge over the Southern US that is driving Hanna into Texas extends westward to just north of Hawaii and it looks like it will be holding in place keeping Douglas on its current west northwest course.
It appears that Douglas has passed its peak intensity a few hours ago. The eye has become cloud filled though the center is still well defined. A slow weakening trend is likely to get underway tonight and continue over the weekend.
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MANY THANKS TO TROPICAL TIDBITS FOR THE USE OF MAPS
Please note that with regards to any severe weather, tropical storms, or hurricanes, should a storm be threatening, please consult your local National Weather Service office or your local government officials about what action you should be taking to protect life and property.