Tropical Storm Hanna was upgraded to become the first hurricane of the 2020 Atlantic season on Saturday, moving toward the Texas coast and threatening to bring heavy rain, storm surge and possible tornadoes to a state already struggling with the coronavirus.
The US National Hurricane Centre said Saturday that Hanna's maximum sustained winds had increased to 75 mph (120 kph). The storm was centred about 100 miles (160 km) east-southeast of Corpus Christi, Texas, and was moving west at 9 mph (15 kph).
The centre of Hanna was expected to make landfall along the Texas coast within the hurricane warning area Saturday afternoon or evening, the Hurricane Centre said. Additional strengthening is expected before Hanna makes landfall. Rapid weakening is expected after Hanna moves inland.
"The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline," the Miami-based agency said.
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