A tropical storm watch has been issued coastal Cameron and Willacy counties.
The National Weather Service reports Tropical Storm Beta is about 310 miles east of Brownsville or 310 miles east of Port Mansfield.
Beta’s winds are at 60 mph and the storm is moving north at about 8 mph.
The NWS reports the storm centers has progressed further north than originally thought before making its westward turn.
Beta is expected to slow in forward speed while making a west-northwestward turn later today with gradual strengthening into a hurricane by Sunday as it advances toward the middle Texas coast, the NWS reports.
Storm surge and coastal flooding will be a concern, especially to the north of Port Mansfield where 2 to 4 feet of inundation will be possible.
The NWS reports that the rainfall amounts in the Rio Grande Valley have decreased to about 1 to 2 inches across the area, with most of the rain occurring Sunday night through Tuesday.
The Lower Texas Coast could feel the effects of tropical storm force winds Sunday night however, the area could see tropical storm force winds as early as Sunday morning, the NWS reports.
