Tropical Storm Alberto Brings Heavy Rain and Flooding to Mexico and Texas
Tropical Storm Alberto, the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, made landfall near Tampico, Mexico on June 20, 2024. The storm brought heavy rain and flooding to both Mexico and Texas.
At least three people were reportedly killed in Mexico due to Alberto's rains. In Nuevo León state, a teenager drowned in a river and two minors were electrocuted while crossing a pond that was in contact with a live cable. In Texas, tides surged beneath elevated houses in some coastal cities, including Surfside Beach.
Alberto was predicted to make landfall early Thursday near the Mexican city of Tampico, but its effects were expected to extend far beyond that. The National Hurricane Center warned that Alberto was a large storm with tropical-force winds extending about 415 miles north of its center and maximum sustained winds of 50 miles per hour.
The expansive storm system brought widespread coastal flooding in southern Texas on Wednesday, well before the storm was expected to make landfall. Officials in Mexico were cleaning drainage points to prevent flooding and monitoring the levels of dams, rivers, and streams.
Another system is expected to bring rain to Mexico and southern Texas after Alberto passes. The National Hurricane Center is tracking this new system as well.
Mexico has been suffering from severe drought conditions for several years. The heavy rains from Alberto were a welcome relief for some areas, but they also brought the risk of flash flooding and urban flooding in some areas.
Dangerous heat waves are also impacting parts of the US, with record-breaking temperatures forecast across dozens of cities in the Midwest and Northeast. These extreme temperatures can cause droughts, wildfires, disruptions in electricity systems, and agricultural losses.
