Tropical Update: Don Disappears, Atlantic Activity

Tropical Storm Don strengthened a little last Thursday only to completely fade once it interacted with the South Texas coast - something that many Texas residents, believe it or not, did not want to happen. They need all the rain they can get right now and Don, now a tropical depression, looked like it would provide some relief, but Texas residents in drought stricken areas will have to wait a little longer before seeing any significant rainfall!

Do you live in the area where Tropical Storm Don was expected to make landfall? Let me know how you and other Texas residents are dealing with these rough hot and dry times!

Meanwhile, there's some additional tropical activity brewing in the Atlantic Ocean. There's a tropical wave right around Central America. This area of tropical activity is not expected to develop into a tropical depression or anything further at this time.

Behind that tropical wave is a large area of low pressure in the open Atlantic waters. It's highly likely that this low will form into a tropical depression before reaching the Leeward Islands early next week. This area of concern will need to be closely monitored for further development and could potentially become Emily, our next named storm of the 2011 Hurricane Season.

Tropical Storm Don Eyes South Texas

It's a small storm, but one that's about to bring heavy rainfall and gusty winds to Southern Texas. As of Thursday night, Tropical Storm Don was roughly moving at 14 miles per hour with winds of 50 miles per hour, as the storm gained a bit of strength.

Don is not likely to reach hurricane status as the storm runs into dry air just off the southeast coast of Texas. That should limit any additional strengthening. However, residents in the Rio Grande, Port Mansfield, Corpus Christi, San Luis Pass and other areas in Southeast Texas should be advised.

Tropical Storm Don will be making landfall sometime later this evening. Local residents can expect roughly an 80-90 mile wide path of tropical storm force winds gusting greater than 60 miles per hour with sustained winds anywhere from 30-50 miles per hour, depending on the intensity of the storm and how close you are to the storm's center.

Tropical Storm Warnings are posted from Rio Grande River north through San Luis Pass. If you live in this area or have friends or family near where the storm is expected to hit, please advise them of the situation. While not as strong as a hurricane, this storm will still provide significant rainfall and minor wind damage - so residents should be prepared for that.