Tropical Storm Alberto Brings Desperately Needed Rain to Northeast Mexico
Tropical Storm Alberto, the season’s first named storm, delivers heavy rains to northeast Mexico, offering relief to drought-stricken regions. Learn about the storm’s impact and safety measures.
Mexico, Bollywood Fever: Tropical Storm Alberto, the first named storm of the season, made landfall early Thursday, delivering heavy rains to the parched regions of northeast Mexico. While the storm is expected to weaken rapidly over land, it is set to bring several inches of much-needed rain to Mexico’s Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, and Coahuila states, as well as southern Texas.
Tropical storm warnings were issued for much of the western Gulf of Mexico’s coastline, extending from Texas to Veracruz. In response to the storm, schools across Tamaulipas state were closed and shelters were prepared to assist residents seeking refuge from potential high water levels.
The National Hurricane Center predicted that some areas in northeast Mexico and southern Texas could receive between 5 to 10 inches (13 to 25 centimeters) of rain, with isolated totals reaching even higher. Certain elevated regions in Mexico could see up to 20 inches (50 centimeters) of rain, posing risks of mudslides and flash flooding, particularly in Tamaulipas, Coahuila, and Nuevo Leon.
Alberto approached northeast Mexico with heavy rains that have already resulted in three fatalities. However, the storm also brings a glimmer of hope to a region suffering from prolonged and severe drought. Mexican authorities have downplayed the storm’s risks, instead focusing on the potential benefits of the rain it brings.
Raúl Quiroga Álvarez, Tamaulipas state Secretary of Hydrological Resources, emphasized the positive aspect of Alberto during a news conference late Wednesday. “The wind speeds are not such as to consider it a risk,” he said. “This is what we’ve been waiting for for eight years in all of Tamaulipas.”
The drought has particularly impacted northern Mexico, where water reservoirs are critically low, and Mexico owes the United States a significant water debt for their shared use of the Rio Grande. Quiroga described the storm as a “win-win event for Tamaulipas.”
However, the storm has also brought tragedy. Civil protection authorities in Nuevo Leon reported three deaths linked to Alberto’s rains: one man in the La Silla river in Monterrey and two minors who died from electric shocks while riding a bicycle in the rain in the municipality of Allende.
Nuevo Leon Governor Samuel García announced on social media platform X that metro and public transportation services in Monterrey would be suspended from Wednesday night until midday Thursday due to the storm.
As of late Wednesday, Alberto was located about 40 miles (64 kilometers) east of Tampico, Mexico, and approximately 250 miles (402 kilometers) south-southeast of Brownsville, Texas, with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 kph), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. The storm was moving west at 13 miles per hour, bringing rain and flooding to the Texas coast as well.
The U.S. National Weather Service highlighted flooding from excess rain as the main hazard for southern coastal Texas, with a high probability of flash flooding. Tornadoes and waterspouts were also possible, with road flooding and dangerous rip currents reported along the Texas coast.
Residents in Mexico have expressed hope for the beneficial rain that Alberto is bringing. Blanca Coronel Moral, a resident of Tampico, ventured to the city’s waterfront on Wednesday to await Alberto’s arrival. “We have been needing this water that we’re now getting, thank God. Let’s hope that we only get water,” she said. “Our lagoon, which gives us drinking water, is completely dry.”
Schools in Tamaulipas remain closed for the rest of the week due to the risk of localized flooding. As Alberto continues to bring rain showers on both sides of the border, it is expected to rapidly weaken and dissipate by Thursday.
While Tropical Storm Alberto poses some risks, its rains bring much-needed relief to drought-affected regions in northeast Mexico and southern Texas. Authorities and residents alike are hoping for the best possible outcomes as they navigate the storm’s impact.
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