Second Storm of Atlantic Season Picks Up Some Strength as it Closes in on Lone Star State

Since last week, models had been indicating that a tropical system was going to form in the Gulf. Within the past 36 hours, that forecast has become reality as Tropical Storm Bill, the second named storm of the 2015 Atlantic Hurricane Season has developed. Currently, the storm is packing maximum sustained winds of 60 miles per hour after Hurricane Hunter aircraft investigated the storm earlier on Tuesday morning. Bill emerged from Invest 91L, which was classified over the weekend as it dumped heavy rains on Belize and the Yucatan Peninsula.

As of the 7:00 AM CDT Advisory from the National Hurricane Center, Bill was centered about 30 miles to the East-Southeast of Port O’Connor Texas. Minimum central pressure is at 997 millibars or 29.44 inches of Hg. Tropical Storm force winds extend some 150 miles from the center of circulation. Reports out of Matagorda Bay have wind gusts of up to 45 miles per hour. With the storm moving in over the mid-Texas coast, much of the brunt of this storm will be felt in the Galveston and Houston areas, which are in Bill’s northeast quadrant. Those areas are expected to receive 8 to 12 inches of rain along with winds near 60 miles per hour.

Currently, there is a Tropical Storm Warning out for the Texas Coast from Baffin Bay to High Island, Texas. The storm is expected to spread 4 to 8 inches of rain across Eastern Texas and Eastern Oklahoma with some isolated areas receiving 12 inches while portions of Western Arkansas and Southern Missouri are expected to receive anywhere from 2 to 4 inches. Storm surge of 2 to 4 feet is anticipated along the Texas Coast while the Western Louisiana coast is expected to get 1 to 2 feet of surge. As with many landfalling tropical systems, tornadoes are also a threat.

The big story with Bill will be the rain. While there will be some wind, heavy surf, and some surge, it won’t be as bad as the rain. Keep in mind, Texas is still recovering from month long rains in May. The storm is bringing in tremendous amounts of moisture, and as the system comes ashore, this abundant moisture is expected to push to the north and east. So, much of the eastern half of the country will be seeing a good deal of rainfall from what is left of Bill. Here in New Jersey, where there has already been some heavy rain on Sunday and Monday, showers and storms are also expected on Tuesday, Wednesday night into Thursday and possibly this weekend as Bill’s remnants move closer. Portions of the Garden State could end up with between 2 to 4 inches of rain before the week is out.