The City of Brownsville will be handing out sandbags from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday at the Morningside and Monte Bella parks to families and businesses as Tuesday kicked off hurricane season with rain in the forecast for the rest of the week.
There will be eight sandbags distributed per family, 10 per business, while supplies last, and those attending must bring ID and a utility bill. The event is for Brownsville residents only.
Last month, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released its 2021 Atlantic hurricane season outlook and said this year’s season would be an active one, but not as busy as 2020’s.
Officials said there will be 13 to 20 named storms, six to 10 hurricanes and three to five major hurricanes. Forecasters predict a 60% chance of an above-normal season, a 30% chance of a near-normal season and a 10% chance of a below-normal season, The Herald reported on May 20.
According to NOAA, a typical hurricane can bring anywhere from 6 to 12 inches of rainfall. Matthew Rosencrans, hurricane season outlook lead, NOAA Climate Prediction Center, said forecasts of landfalls in the South Texas area are usually made about a week out before the storms strike.
On Tuesday, in Cameron County, Brownsville received 0.15 inches, Harlingen half an inch and the rest of the county similar amounts of generally beneficial rain, The Herald reported Wednesday.
McAllen received 2.38 inches of rain on Tuesday and recorded a wind gust of 47 mph, the National Weather Service office in Brownsville reported. Rainfall in Edinburg totaled 1.97 inches and Weslaco received 1.7 inches, with higher radar-based rain totals in northern Hidalgo County.
There is a 50% chance of rain on Thursday, 60% on Friday, 50% on Saturday and 20% on Sunday before it starts to dry out, The Herald reported.
