|
According to the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC), the storm
was located about 135 miles (217 km) east of the Mexican port of
Tampico, packing maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (80 kph), as
military and emergency services personnel braced for its full
impact.
Alberto is the first named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane
season, though its sustained wind speeds remain below hurricane
strength.
The deaths of at least three people, all minors, have been
attributed to Alberto, Nuevo Leon state Governor Samuel Garcia
told local media. He did not give any details.
One of the victims has been identified as a 15-year-old boy who
was swept away by the current of a river and drowned outside the
city of Monterrey, Mexico's third biggest, in Nuevo Leon state,
according to a report from the city's emergency services.
The NHC noted some "slight strengthening" is possible over
Wednesday night.
The center of Alberto is expected to make landfall along the
coast of Mexico's Tamaulipas state, just south of the U.S. state
of Texas, early Thursday morning. While it will likely weaken
quickly, it is also seen bringing torrential rainfall, coastal
flooding and strong winds.
The NHC warned of considerable flash flooding in the storm's
path, including in urban areas, along with swollen rivers and
potential mudslides.
Mexico's national water commission Conagua also issued a warning
for overflowing rivers, landslides and flooding.
Governor Garcia encouraged his state's residents to avoid
leaving their homes amid heavy rainfall and said preparations
were in place to quickly address possible impacts to local power
supplies, water and sewage systems.
Along the U.S. Gulf coast, including parts of Texas and
Louisiana, videos posted on social media showed some flooding in
coastal towns and waves smashing into sea walls.
The NHC also cited the possibility of further coastal flooding
along with the formation of tornadoes in Texas linked to
Alberto.
(Reporting by Stephanie Hamel and Sarah Morland; Additional
reporting by Brijesh Patel, Writing by Aida Pelaez-Fernandez;
Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Sandra Maler and Miral Fahmy)
[© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
