Hanna downgraded to tropical storm, but 'catastrophic flooding' remains possible in Texas


Hurricane Hanna made landfall in Texas twice as a Category 1 storm Saturday before the National Hurricane Center downgraded it to a tropical storm once again Sunday morning. At that point, Hanna had maximum sustained 60 mile per hour winds.
Despite weakening, the storm is still dangerous, and parts of northeastern Mexico and southern Texas are on alert. Tidal surges, dangerous surf, and tornadoes all remain possibilities, but heavy rainfall presents the most significant threat, The Associated Press reports. Forecasters said Hanna could bring 6 to 12 inches of rain through Sunday night, with isolated totals of 18 inches. "We're not even close to over at this point," said Chris Birchfield, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Brownsville, Texas. "We're still expecting catastrophic flooding."
In a press conference Saturday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said he signed a disaster declaration for 32 Texas counties and has requested a federal emergency declaration. He added that the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Coast Guard are already in the state and ready to respond to potentially "severe" and "life-threatening flash floods." Any rescue operations will reportedly account for the coronavirus pandemic and incorporate social distancing guidelines and mask wearing. Read more at The Associated Press and NBC News.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Ghislaine Maxwell: angling for a Trump pardon
Talking Point Convicted sex trafficker's testimony could shed new light on president's links to Jeffrey Epstein
-
Tommy Robinson: a timeline of legal troubles
The Explainer Police are seeking to speak to far-right activist after a man was assaulted at St Pancras train station
-
Tuvalu is being lost to climate change. Other countries will likely follow.
Under the radar Sea level rise is putting islands underwater
-
Massive earthquake sends tsunami across Pacific
Hundreds of thousands of people in Japan and Hawaii were told to evacuate to higher ground
-
FEMA Urban Search and Rescue chief resigns
Speed Read Ken Pagurek has left the organization, citing 'chaos'
-
Wildfires destroy historic Grand Canyon lodge
Speed Read Dozens of structures on the North Rim have succumbed to the Dragon Bravo Fire
-
Search for survivors continues after Texas floods
Speed Read A total of 82 people are confirmed dead, including 28 children
-
EPA is reportedly killing Energy Star program
speed read The program for energy-efficient home appliances has saved consumers billions in energy costs since its 1992 launch
-
US proposes eroding species protections
Speed Read The Trump administration wants to change the definition of 'harm' in the Environmental Protection Act to allow habitat damage
-
Severe storms kill dozens across central US
Speed Read At least 40 people were killed over the weekend by tornadoes, wildfires and dust storms
-
Rain helps Los Angeles wildfires, risks mudslides
Speed Read The weather provided relief for crews working to contain wildfires, though rain over a burn area ups the chances of flooding and mudslides