Portions of the Texas and Louisiana coasts will begin to experience the effects of Tropical Storm Beta on Monday as it approaches land, while Hurricane Teddy could produce moderate flooding along the East Coast while out in the open Atlantic.
As of Monday at 11 a.m., Beta was located about 55 miles southeast of Port O'Connor, Texas, and moving west-northwest at 7 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. Maximum sustained winds are 50 mph with higher gusts, and no further strengthening is forecast.
Portions of Texas and western Louisiana are under tropical storm and storm surge warnings.
Beta is forecast to continue moving west and toward the central Texas coast, likely making landfall on Monday night. It is then expected to take a sharp turn to the north and northeast on Tuesday and weaken over land while remaining close to the coast.
Forecasters said Beta could produce storm surge of 3-5 feet near Galveston along with dangerous surf and gusty winds. They also say 5-10 inches of rain – and isolated totals of 15 inches in some areas – are possible from the middle Texas coast to southeast Louisiana.
Rainfall totals of 3-5 inches will extend inland through Arkansas and the lower Mississippi Valley through the end of the week, forecasters said.
While Beta approaches the Texas coast, coastal flood warnings and advisories have been issued along the Florida Atlantic coast.
Ray Hawthorne, meteorologist with the Florida Public Radio Emergency Network, says a number of factors could result in widespread minor to moderate flooding along some roadways on Florida’s east coast.
“Strong high pressure over New England is tightening the pressure gradient and creating the gusty northeasterly winds that have been affecting the coast for days now,” Hawthorne said. “The moon is closer to the earth in its orbit in the fall months and there’s subtle background sea-level rise -- all of which make conditions more favorable for the flooding.”
Another factor, Hawthorne said, are the large swells and rough waters Hurricane Teddy — with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph on Monday morning — is producing offshore as it moves north near Bermuda.
Hawthorne said conditions along Florida’s Atlantic coast should ease by Wednesday.
Information from the Florida Public Radio Emergency Network was used in this report.
