Storm Updates: Imelda Drenches Texas As Humberto Menaces Bermuda

Updated at 11:20 p.m. ET

Heavy rains are triggering flash floods in eastern Texas from Tropical Depression Imelda — one of several large storms that forecasters have been watching. In the Atlantic, Bermuda is under a hurricane warning as the core of Hurricane Humberto passes north of the island as a Category 3 storm.

"A turn toward the east-northeast is expected Friday night and Saturday. On the forecast track, the center of Humberto will continue to move away from Bermuda tonight," the National Hurricane Center said in a bulletin at 11:00 p.m. ET.

Imelda was briefly a tropical storm after forming in the Gulf. Despite weakening into a tropical depression Tuesday night, the storm is still expected to bring an additional 10 inches of rainfall to parts of eastern Texas and southwest Louisiana through Friday, with isolated totals of 20 to 25 inches possible.

Imelda is bringing "heavy rains and significant flash flooding," continuing to spread inland over the next couple of days, according to the National Hurricane Center. The center of the storm is 80 miles north-northeast of Houston — but it's creeping along at 5 mph, raising the chance of dangerous floods.

Flash flood watches are currently in place for southeast Texas and the far southwestern corner of Louisiana. Sections of Louisiana will see 4 to 8 inches of rain, with isolated totals of up to 10 inches possible.

In the Atlantic, Humberto has maximum sustained winds of nearly 120 mph, with higher gusts. Humberto is projecting hurricane-force winds for up to 80 miles from its center, with tropical storm-force winds extending for nearly 200 miles. Humberto is moving east-northeast at nearly 20 mph, the NHC says.

Far to the east in the open Atlantic, Tropical Storm Jerry is predicted to become a hurricane Thursday night, the NHC says. Jerry would then approach the northern Leeward Islands sometime Friday — but forecasters say it's too early to tell if any islands might face dangerous conditions. The storm's current five-day cone predicts it will stay on a track to the north of Antigua and Barbuda.

As of 11 p.m. ET Wednesday, Jerry's maximum sustained winds had risen to 65 mph .The NHC forecast predicts that the storm's winds will remain at the Category 1 level over the next five days.

In the Pacific Ocean, the NHC is monitoring Tropical Storm Lorena — which it predicts will become a hurricane as it nears the coast of southwestern Mexico late Wednesday and overnight. Mexican authorities have issued a hurricane warning for coastal areas from Punta San Telmo to Cabo Corrientes.

The storm had 75 mph maximum sustained winds as of 10 p.m. ET.

"Lorena is expected to produce total rainfall accumulations of 5 to 10 inches with maximum amounts of 15 inches along the coastal sections of the Mexican states of Guerrero, Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco," the NHC says. "This rainfall may produce life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides."

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.