BuzzTimes24 – Early Thursday, Tropical Storm Alberto approached northeast Mexico, bringing heavy rainfall that resulted in at least three fatalities while offering much-needed relief to a region enduring a prolonged, severe drought. Alberto is the season’s first named storm.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami reported that Alberto is expected to make landfall on Mexico’s Gulf coast shortly, then rapidly weaken and dissipate over land later on Thursday. The storm’s rain impacted both sides of the border, extending along much of the southern Texas coast and reaching down to Mexico’s Veracruz state. While rainfall and gusty winds began to ease along the Texas coast, they were forecasted to persist in northeastern Mexico throughout the morning.
As of 5 a.m. EDT, Alberto’s center was about 40 miles east of Tampico, Mexico, and 250 miles south of Brownsville, Texas. The storm was moving west at 50 mph with sustained winds of 50 mph. Rainfall in southern Texas was expected to diminish during the day, with an inch or less anticipated. However, the possibility of a tornado or two existed in parts of Deep South Texas.
In contrast, northeast Mexico was predicted to receive 5 to 10 inches more rain, with maximum totals of approximately 20 inches possible in the higher terrain of Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipas. This heavy rainfall could lead to significant flash and urban flooding, along with new and renewed river flooding. Mudslides were also a potential risk in the higher terrain areas.
Mexican officials minimized the threat posed by Alberto’s winds, emphasizing instead the potential benefits of the rainfall for the drought-stricken region. Raúl Quiroga Álvarez, Tamaulipas state Secretary of Hydrological Resources, highlighted the opportunity for replenishing water supplies during a news conference late Wednesday. “The wind speeds are not a risk,” Álvarez stated. “This is what we’ve been hoping for for eight years in all of Tamaulipas.”
Northern Mexico, particularly hard hit by drought, welcomed the storm’s rains. Quiroga mentioned the state’s low reservoir levels and Mexico’s significant water debt to the United States in their shared use of the Rio Grande. “This is a win-win event for Tamaulipas,” he said.
However, Alberto’s rains were linked to three fatalities in Nuevo Leon state. Civil protection authorities reported that one man died in the La Silla River in Monterrey, the state capital, and two minors died from electric shocks in Allende. Local media indicated the minors were riding a bicycle in the rain.
Nuevo Leon Governor Samuel García announced on social media platform X that metro and public transportation services in Monterrey would be suspended from Wednesday night until midday Thursday as Alberto passed.
Residents expressed hope that Alberto would bring beneficial rain. Blanca Coronel Moral of Tampico ventured to the waterfront on Wednesday in anticipation of the storm. “We have been needing this water that we’re now getting, thank God. Let’s hope that we only get water,” she said. “Our lagoon, which gives us drinking water, is completely dry.”
Authorities closed schools in Tamaulipas for the remainder of the week due to the potential for localized flooding.
