The Brownsville National Weather Service is warning that conditions are favorable for the development of weak tropical funnel clouds on Tuesday.
The warning comes as a disorganized, broad area of low pressure slowly moves northwest over the Gulf of Mexico toward Deep South Texas.
“The combination of light easterly winds and abundant tropical moisture will make the atmosphere favorable for the development of weak tropical funnels today,” the NWS said in a special weather statement issued Tuesday morning. “Most of these funnel clouds will be short lived and usually do not touch the ground. However, you should be prepared to seek shelter in the event a funnel does reach the ground.”
The NWS says the funnel clouds are possible in Cameron, Willacy, southern Hidalgo, Starr, Jim Hogg, Brooks, Zapata and Kenedy counties, including the cities of Brownsville, McAllen, Edinburg, Harlingen, Laguna Vista, Laguna Heights, South Padre Island, San Manuel, Port Isabel, Port Mansfield, Raymondville, Weslaco, Mission, Pharr, Edinburg, Roma, Rio Grande City, Sarita, Falfurrias, Hebbronville and Zapata.
The system moving toward the Rio Grande Valley could briefly become a tropical depression and is expected to move inland over northeastern Mexico sometime Tuesday, according to the National Hurricane Center’s morning update.
“Regardless of development, the disturbance will likely produce heavy rainfall over portions of eastern Mexico, southeastern Texas and the Lower Mississippi Valley during the next few days,” the NHC statement says. “And Air Force Reserve reconnaissance aircraft is scheduled to investigate the disturbance later today, if necessary.”
The Brownsville NWS said Monday that some areas in the Cameron could receive two to three inches of rain from the slow moving storm, which can result in flooding of one to two feet in areas of poor drainage.
