The United States was hit by extreme weather on Wednesday, with the first tropical storm of hurricane season hitting Texas while the Northeast still faces sweltering heat.
A major storm is expected to hit southern Texas late Wednesday into Thursday, likely causing heavy flooding, According to forecasters.
The weather system, currently named Potential Tropical Cyclone One, will be upgraded to Tropical Storm Alberto by the time it reaches the Gulf Coast of Mexico on Thursday morning.
Tropical storm warnings have been issued along the Texas coast from the San Luis Pass to the mouth of the Rio Grande, with strong winds expected and Corpus Christi expected to receive 10 to 15 inches of rain. The state government has implemented a massive emergency response in anticipation of widespread flooding.
There have already been reports of coastal flooding as rain moves inland, the National Weather Center office in Houston said at 4:30 p.m. CT (5:30 p.m. ET).
“This disturbance is very large, with rainfall, coastal flooding and wind impacts likely along the coasts of Texas and northeastern Mexico away from the center,” the National Hurricane Center said in an update.
The hurricane center also said Wednesday that deadly landslides were possible in higher areas of northern Mexico, including the cities of Monterrey and Ciudad Victoria.
On Tuesday night, Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered the state's Emergency Management Division to place the Texas State Emergency Operations Center on Level 2 readiness, meaning it would begin operating 24 hours a day.
“As we prepare for severe tropical weather, Texas is activating all necessary personnel and resources to assist Texans and communities that will potentially be impacted by excessive rainfall and flooding,” he said in a statement.
The Texas A&M Forest Service has deployed four teams consisting of 100 personnel and 24 vehicles, while the Texas National Guard has three platoons with more than 40 personnel and 20 vehicles, including Chinook helicopters.
The weather service has asked people in the affected areas to stock up on food, water and other essential items for five to seven days.
The storm warning comes as 71 million people were under some sort of heat warning on Wednesday, and a severe heat wave is expected to last until Friday.