Texas is bracing for heavy rains, strong winds and rough coastal surf as Tropical Storm Hanna is forecast to make landfall this weekend.
As of Friday morning, the storm was located about 315 miles east-southeast of Corpus Christi in the Gulf of Mexico and moving west-northwest at 9 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. Maximum sustained winds are 40 mph with higher gusts.
A tropical storm warning is in effect for parts of Texas, and areas along the western Louisiana coast should also brace for tropical storm conditions.
Forecasters say Hanna -- the earliest "H"-named storm -- will continue to strengthen and gradually turn to the west through the weekend, with landfall anticipated somewhere along the Texas coast on Saturday.
Hanna could dump 4-8 inches of rain in south Texas, with isolated totals of 12 inches through Sunday night, according to the hurricane center. Those rains could produce flash flooding, and strong winds will generate dangerous surf and rip currents.
Meanwhile, a hurricane warning is in effect for Barbados, St. Vincent and the Grenadines as Tropical Storm Gonzalo continues to churn west on its way toward the Caribbean.
As of Friday morning, the storm was located about 645 miles east of the Windward Islands and moving west at 14 mph. Maximum sustained winds are 60 mph with higher gusts, forecasters said.
The compact Gonzalo could strengthen this weekend and could become a hurricane before reaching the Windward Islands. But it is forecast to weaken once it moves into the Caribbean and dissipate by early next week.
The next storm could form next week, as a tropical wave off the African coast has a 30 percent chance of development in the next five days as it moves west in the open Atlantic, according to the hurricane center.
