ORLANDO, Fla. _ Tropical Storm Hanna strengthened Friday and is expected to make landfall along the Texas coast on Saturday, with a hurricane warning issued from Baffin Bay to Mesquite Bay.
The storm, about 195 miles east of Corpus Christi as of 5 p.m. EST, picked up forward speed overnight and is moving at 10 mph with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph.
A storm surge warning is in effect from Baffin Bay to Sargent, Texas, and a tropical storm warning is in effect across the Texas coast from the mouth of the Rio Grande to Baffin Bay and from Mesquite Bay to San Luis Pass.
Hanna is expected to turn toward the southwest around Saturday night and continue on a southwest path through the weekend. It's expected to make landfall around Saturday afternoon along the hurricane warning area on Texas' coast.
Hanna is expected to dump 5 to 10 inches of rain, perhaps up to 15 inches in some areas, through Sunday night in south Texas and nearby Mexican states. The deluge could lead to life-threatening flash flooding, rapid rises on small streams, and isolated minor to moderate river flooding in south Texas. Along the upper Texas and Louisiana coasts, and inland to the Mexican states of Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and northern Tamaulipas, 3 to 5 inches of rain is expected, forecasters said.
While Hanna is not expected to directly impact Florida, some rain and thunderstorms are possible this weekend and early next week.
Meanwhile, "tiny" Tropical Storm Gonzalo accelerated Friday, as forecasters said the weakened system is no longer likely to develop into the first hurricane of the 2020 season.
Further weakening is expected after Gonzalo moves into the Caribbean Sea, and it should dissipate by the middle of next week.
Gonzalo, moving at 18 mph, is about 390 miles east of the southern Windward Islands with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph, which weaker than Friday morning, the NHC said in its 5 p.m. advisory.
It's expected to turn northwest and gain speed over the weekend.
"Given the current structure of the tropical storm, the NHC intensity forecast has been lowered significantly, but still allows for some slight restrengthening during the next 24 (hours)," the NHC said.
A tropical storm warning is in effect for Barbados, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, along with Tobago and Grenada.
Gonzalo could bring up to 8 inches of rain.
Meteorologists don't expect it to remain in the Atlantic for very long as it trudges through areas of dry air and high wind shear on Saturday, FOX 35 meteorologist Jayme King said Thursday.
As the storm progresses west and northwest, it is likely to dissipate thanks to the dry Saharan dust from west Africa which typically chokes the moisture out of tropical systems leaving them without fuel to run, King said.
Back off the coast of Africa, the NHC is monitoring a wave that has a 40% chance of developing into a storm in the next five days.
