Hurricane Douglas to sweep through Hawaii as Tropical Storm Gonzalo rises and cyclone emerges near Texas coast
The United States and the Caribbean are set to be affected by three different dangerous weather systems by the weekend. The U.S. National Hurricane Center has said that in the Gulf of Mexico Tropical Depression Eight has formed and it will probably move northwest during the next two days and make landfall along the Texas coast on Saturday, July 25.
The news of the formation of Tropical Depression Eight came a few hours after Hurricane Douglas formed miles from Hawaii and reports claimed it is rapidly intensifying. Reports have also stated that Tropical Storm Gonzalo is continuing to gain strength in the Atlantic and if predictions are to be believed it will become a hurricane by Thursday, July 23.
According to reports, Hurricane Douglas has been deemed as the first hurricane of the eastern Pacific season. Weather forecasters have said that Douglas is likely to sweep through the Hawaiian Islands later this weekend while producing flash flooding, strong winds, and pounding surf. The National Hurricane Center has also said that the storm had maximum sustained winds of 100 mph, which makes it a category 2 hurricane as of late Wednesday, July 22.
But John Bravender, warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Honolulu, has mentioned that it could become a Category 3 hurricane on Thursday because of the cooler waters east of Hawaii and wind shear that can lose its strength before it reaches the island chain. It has been forecasted that Douglas will probably be either at hurricane or near-hurricane strength when it arrives. Reportedly, it is still too early to estimate the exact path of Douglas in the islands, which also means it’s difficult to predict which part of the state could be affected. As of late Wednesday, it was 1,570 miles southeast of Hawaii.
Tropical Storm Gonzalo is also about to hit the US as reports have said that it was strengthening in the Atlantic. The Hurricane Center also said that it could become a hurricane by Thursday as it “fed off warm waters”. Meteorologist Phil Ferro tweeted: “Tropical Storm Gonzalo is feeding off very warm waters and could become a storm on Thursday. It should run into drier air and strong upper winds just before the Windward Islands. If it survives that, everyone in the Caribbean should monitor.” As of Wednesday evening, Gonzalo was moving west towards the Caribbean at 14 mph. Also, since it is heading slightly northwest, it cannot be said if it would hit Florida or not.
In addition to Douglas and Gonzalo, another storm has emerged near the Texas coast from Port Mansfield to High Island, including Galveston and Corpus Christi, the Weather Channel reported. It has been said that it could produce 2-4 inches of rain with isolated totals of 6 inches along the Gulf Coast from Louisiana to the lower Texas coast, and inland through south-central Texas and the Rio Grande Valley. Not just that, the depression caused by the tornado or storm could also generate swells, leading to produce life-threatening surf and rip conditions that will affect most parts of Texas and Louisiana.