Tropical Storm Chris formed in the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday night, making it the third named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. Image courtesy of NOAA
Tropical Storm Chris formed Sunday night in the Gulf of Mexico, according to forecasters warning the system was threatening the North American nation with heavy rainfall and flooding.
The storm was located about 105 miles southeast of Tuxpan, Mexico, in the Gulf, the National Hurricane Center said in its 10 p.m. CDT update. Advertisement
It had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph and was moving west at 13 mph.
A tropical storm warning, meaning tropical storm conditions are expected to be felt within the next six hours, has been issued for Cabo Rojo to Puerto Veracruz.
Chris is forecast to move inland later Monday, with little additional strengthening anticipated beforehand.
“Chis should weaken quickly after moving inland and dissipate over the mountainous terrain of Mexico,” the NHC center in a discussion on the storm.
The primary concern of the storm is heavy rainfall, with between 4 and 8 inches expected to fall across portions of eastern Mexico throughout the day. Up to 12 inches are possible in the higher terrain of Guanajuato, Queretaro and San Louis Potosi states, it said.
Life-threatening flash floods and mud slides in eastern Mexico into early Monday are anticipated. Advertisement
“This rainfall will result in area of flooding, with mudslides possible in areas of hight terrain,” the NHC warned.
Chris is the third named storm in the Atlantic hurricane season after Beryl, which was bearing down on the Barbados early Monday, and Alberto, which made landfall over Mexico on June 20 and lashed Texas with heavy rainfall.
