HARLINGEN — A sea-blown thunderstorm raced through Harlingen and other areas to the northwest Wednesday afternoon, creating localized flooding and causing power outages for several hundred residents.
The storm hit between 2 and 2:45 p.m., with wind gusts estimated to be around 39 mph in some spots.
Rainfall at the traditional National Weather Service monitoring sites, like Valley International Airport, showed 1.8 inches of rain there by about 3 p.m.
Other weather stations, at Mid-Valley Airport in Weslaco, and McAllen-Miller International Airport, reported just traces of rainfall.
“The rest of Cameron is pretty dark but really no rain is falling,” said Rolando Casas, assistant emergency management coordinator in Cameron County, at about 3 p.m. “Everything seems to be releasing over on the west side of Harlingen.”
Power outages in some areas on the west side of Harlingen dragged on for at least two hours as Magic Valley Electrical Coop crews worked to restore lights.
“It’ll flush out quick,” Casas said of water the storm left behind. “I don’t think there’s a high risk of anything going into residential areas or inside actual residences.”
