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The US could be dealing with 3 hurricanes soon as Hurricane Douglas hurtles toward Hawaii, Hurricane Gonzo is expected to form Thursday, and Tropical Depression #8 is expected to ramp up and make landfall in Texas.
Hurricane Douglas hurtling toward Hawaii with sustained winds of 100 mph with maximum sustained winds of 100 miles per hour and higher gusts, Hurricane Douglas is hurtling toward the Hawaiian Islands, KHON2 reported.
According to forecasts by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) and National Weather Service (NWS) Douglas is anticipated to transform from a Category 2 and become a major hurricane Category 3 by Thursday and continue to strengthen over the next 24 hours.
The NWS forecast that Hurricane Douglas will diminish in strength as it approaches the islands, weakening to a Category 1. Forecasters estimate that by the time it reaches the Hawaiian Islands it will weaken to a tropical storm.
Even though the hurricane will decrease down to a tropical storm – the storm will still pack a punch and bring strong winds and flooding.
The NWS is urging the public not to wait until the last minute to prepare.
The NWS recommends having hurricane kits ready, filling up your vehicle’s gas tank, as well as making sure your dwelling is prepared to withstand the storm.
You should also have an evacuation plan. This includes understanding what type of zone you live in and the hazards in your surrounding area. You need to be prepared in case flooding blocks certain routes, you want to be sure that you have planned, in advance, for alternate routes in your exit strategy.
You also want to have a communication plan for your family. This starts by making sure you have cellphones for every member of your family.
As of 5 AM on Thursday, Tropical Storm Gonzalo was heading due west at 12 miles per hour with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph and was expected to strengthen to a category 1 hurricane later in the day.
Officials in Trinidad and Tobago were already preparing for an impact with the storm, distributing sandbags, and alerting emergency teams. Residents were warned to prepare emergency kits and to expect floodwaters, Trinidad Express reported.
Douglas is expected to reach the Windward Islands by late Friday or Saturday, and a hurricane watch has been issued for Barbados.
The National Weather Service (NWS) reported that Tropical Depression #8 has formed in the central Gulf. The system is forecast to become a weak tropical storm over the next day or two and be dubbed Hanna. The system is expected to landfall along the coast of Texas on Saturday.
As of 8 AM ET, the storm was about 405 miles east-southeast of Port O’Connor, Texas, with maximum sustained winds of 30 mph as it moves to the west-northwest at 9 mph, Fox News reported.
The NWS issued a tropical storm watch for Corpus Christi, Victoria, and Laredo Texas, as well as a tropical storm warning for the north-central Gulf of Mexico.
The storm is expected to generate swells that will produce life-threatening surf and rip currents, affecting much of Texas and Louisiana.
Isolated rain totals could reach 6 inches along the Gulf Coast, from the lower Texas coast to Louisiana, as well as inland areas into south-central Texas in the Rio Grande Valley, KSNB Local4 reported.
