The first named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, Tropical Storm Alberto, has dissipated, according to the National Hurricane Center. However, its impact was devastating. As it made landfall in Mexico, the storm caused at least four deaths. Reports indicate that three of the victims were children. The Associated Press stated that two minors were killed by an electric shock while riding bikes in the rain. Reuters reported another electric shock death and the tragic loss of a 15-year-old who was swept away by floodwaters. Alberto had intensified into a tropical storm on Wednesday morning, detected through the efforts of Hurricane Hunters and satellite data, which revealed a low-level circulation under a mass of thunderstorm activity in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico.
Despite making landfall in Mexico, the impact of Tropical Storm Alberto was felt along the entire U.S. Gulf Coast. Barrier islands and coastal communities from Brownsville, Texas to Grand Isle, Louisiana experienced widespread coastal flooding. Although Alberto was not a powerful storm, with maximum sustained winds of only 50 mph, it caused more significant coastal flooding than expected due to its lack of organization and a steep pressure gradient. Surfside Beach and the San Louis Pass region, south of Galveston, reported major flooding. In addition, there were numerous Tornado Warnings as the storm brought bands of rain and thunderstorms ashore. Near Rockport, Texas, a suspected tornado caused significant damage to roofs.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has declared a severe weather disaster for 51 communities in the state due to the impacts of Alberto, a tropical disturbance that originated from the Central American Gyre (CAG). The National Hurricane Center had been monitoring this disturbance for several days and classified it as Potential Tropical Cyclone One, allowing officials to issue watches and warnings. The CAG, a weather phenomenon that occurs a few times a year, can cause heavy rainfall, mudslides, and landslides in the seven countries between Mexico and South America.
The torrential rainfall from an unnamed tropical storm caused problems for countries south of Mexico, resulting in flooding and landslides that tragically took the lives of at least 14 people.
In response, authorities in El Salvador and neighboring Guatemala closed schools and opened shelters, while hundreds of rescue operations were carried out.
The storm, along with two other areas of disturbed weather, brought heavy rainfall to the mountainous terrain, leading to mudslides and landslides.
Eventually, the system developed enough organization to be classified as a tropical storm by the National Hurricane Center (NHC), after the moisture that would become Alberto emerged into the Bay of Campeche.
The deadly flooding and landslides were triggered by the Central American Gyre.
Moving forward, what remains of Alberto is expected to bring mostly rain over communities west of Tampico, Mexico, in the coming days.
The region plays a crucial role in agriculture, but it has been severely affected by drought and heat waves caused by a strong El Niño climate pattern.
According to the most recent North America Drought Monitor, some communities are experiencing the most severe drought possible, resulting in water shortages and widespread crop failures.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts that Alberto could bring a significant amount of precipitation, with 4-6 inches expected to fall across a wide area and possibly over a foot in higher elevations.
In addition to Alberto, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) is closely monitoring another tropical disturbance called Invest 92L, which could bring heavy rain and dangerous rip currents to parts of Florida and the Southeast coast on Friday.
Furthermore, computer models indicate the possibility of another area of tropical development over the weekend in the same western Gulf of Mexico region where Alberto formed.