Tropical Storm Beta Path, Tracker as Texas Due Heavy Rainfall and Flooding. Historical data indicate that the entire 5-day path of the center of the tropical cyclone will remain within the cone about 60-70% of the time. Officials urged residents to stay home and avoid driving if possible. [10], Although affected by wind shear and dry air, the storm continued to intensify, reaching a peak intensity of 60 mph (95 km/h) and a pressure of 994 mb (29.36 inHg) at 15:00 UTC on September 19. The storm has sustained winds of 60 mph, about 120 miles south-southeast of Galveston, and the hurricane center's reconnaissance aircraft found no change in strength. Weather. Tropical Storm Beta was a tropical cyclone that brought heavy rainfall, flooding, and severe weather to the Southeastern United States in September 2020. It slowly moved northward and intensified to a mid-range tropical storm before dry air and wind shear halted its intensification. [22], Tropical storm, hurricane, and storm surge watches were issued along a large portion of the coastline from the Texas-Mexico border to south central Louisiana in advance of the storm. Beta is no longer a tropical depression or a tropical storm, but it is brining plenty of rain to far Southeast Texas (Beaumont) and areas east. One fatality in Texas due to Beta's impacts has been confirmed. [14] Beta's structure further degraded as stable cold-air stratocumulus clouds wrapped around its center. HOUSTON — Tropical Storm Beta continues its path toward the Texas Gulf coast. [5] Little to no development of the system occurred as it began to slowly turn southwestward and by September 14, it was not expected to become a tropical cyclone due to strong upper-level winds produced by nearby Hurricane Sally. Texas officials warn that rainfall, flash flooding and isolated tornadoes could occur with little to no warning. [18][19] Beta then became a post-tropical cyclone at 03:00 UTC on September 23 and accelerated northeastward, passing through Louisiana and Mississippi into Northern Alabama. [3] At 21:00 UTC on September 18, the system strengthened into Tropical Storm Beta,[9] becoming the earliest forming 23rd tropical or subtropical storm on record in an Atlantic hurricane season, surpassing the old mark of October 22, established by Tropical Storm Alpha of 2005. "Persons located within these areas should take all necessary actions to protect life and property from rising water and the potential for other dangerous conditions," according to the. [24] Flood warnings and watches of various types were issued throughout Texas and Louisiana as the storm approached coastal Texas and then made landfall. ", The hurricane watch previously posted is discontinued, but Beta is chugging along at a dangerously sluggish 6 mph. Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, the Carolinas were all impacted by flooding, gusty winds, and severe weather as well. Its remnants moved northeastward, before the center elongated and merged with a cold front early on September 25. The 22nd storm of the 2020 hurricane season is expected to slowly strengthen into a hurricane Sunday, according to a … Tropical Storm Beta could bring a storm surge of up to 4 feet in some places. It could cause flooding issues along the coast. The low moved slowly southwestward, with development hampered initially by the development of nearby Hurric… TROPICAL CYCLONE REPORT TROPICAL STORM BETA (AL222020) 17–22 September 2020 John L. Beven II and Robbie Berg National Hurricane Center 6 April 2021 NOAA20 VIIRS VISIBLE IMAGE OF BETA AT 1906 UTC 20 SEP 2020. Forecast path for Tropical Storm Beta. As of 10 p.m. CDT Friday, Tropical Storm Beta was located about 305 miles east of the mouth of the Rio Grande River and was moving north-northeast at 12 mph. "But for right now, we're going to proceed to a, let's say, a normal workday schedule tomorrow," he added. The shear is also making the storm very asymmetric, and the bulk of the rain and strongest winds are located to the north and northeast of the center. Beta is expected to remain a tropical storm as it approaches a Texas landfall on Monday. Beta weakened to a tropical depression Tuesday morning and as of this morning is a post-tropical area of low pressure. Another active hurricane season is forecasted with 17 named storms, Watch a huge waterspout loom over Panama City Beach, Dramatic video shows inside the tornado in Alabama, Truck slides down slick hill after winter storm, The difference between a tornado watch and a warning, Why snow and blackouts in Texas are a preview for all of us, What 'rapid intensification' means for storms, Steer like this to stay out of accidents in the snow, Massive waves crash over top of coastal homes, We've run out of names for the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season. "Whether or not we'll ask people to stay home, whether or not the testing centers will close, that will be based on what we see and what we're told tomorrow," Turner said. The average hurricane season produces 12. Beta has since weakened to a tropical depression and was still hanging around Texas as of Tuesday afternoon. [33] Parts of I-69 and TX 288 were closed by flooding and high water rescue teams responded to dozens of calls for help. Hurricane. Having a "high shear" environment prevents a storm from intensifying. The other time was in 2005, when the season produced so many storms it exhausted the season's list of 21 names. "We will continue to closely monitor the storm and work collaboratively with officials to ensure our fellow Texans are safe," Abbott said. The twenty-third tropical depression and twenty-third tropical or subtropical storm of the record-breaking 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, Beta originally formed from a trough of low pressure that developed in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico on September 10. https://t.co/znwHo7TroU pic.twitter.com/rVZ9Hdron9. Heavy Rain with Storm Totals over 12′'! On September 21, Beta made landfall near Matagorda Peninsula, Texas as a minimal tropical storm. [34] A missing fisherman who had gone into Brays Bayou during the storm was later discovered drowned. Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued disaster declarations for 29 counties, while Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency. Residents are encouraged to prepare for heavy rain, wind, and coastal flooding outside the levee system. The sprawling nature of the storm also brought heavy rainfall to Louisiana, which was still recovering from a number of other systems that had affected the state during the season. Beta … Tropical Storm Beta continues moving toward the coast of Texas. [17] It then became nearly stationary again before turning east and weakening some more, causing the NHC to issue their final advisory and giving future advisory responsibilities to the Weather Prediction Center (WPC). An EF0 tornado was also confirmed in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina as well. "Right around 6 a.m. we will see a combination of the surge, a combination of the freshwater rain and a combination of high tide, which could give us as much as three to four feet over the road," Galveston County Judge Mark Henry said at a briefing Sunday. [7] The next day, hurricane hunters found a closed circulation, and as thunderstorms persisted near the center, the NHC initiated advisories on Tropical Depression Twenty-Two at 23:00 UTC on September 17. With two months remaining, 2020 could easily surpass the record set in 2005. [28] A number of flash flood warnings were also issued as rainbands began to continually move over the same areas. Water levels are likely to be up to a foot higher than that along portions of the Texas coast during tonight's high tide. A hurricane and storm surge watch and tropical storm warning and watch continued along the Texas and Louisiana coasts. [36], Tropical Storm Beta at peak intensity east of. The City of New Orleans continues to monitor Tropical Storm Beta, which is currently forecast to approach the Texas coast and move inland Monday or Monday night. DISCUSSION AND OUTLOOK ----- At 400 AM CDT (0900 UTC), the center of Post-Tropical Cyclone Beta was located near latitude 34.3 North, longitude 86.3 West. TS Beta bears down with plenty of rain in its path. [23] Several voluntary evacuations were issued by city and county governments over concerns of particularly vulnerable areas around Houston and Galveston. By comparison, an average human walks around 3 or 4 mph. Dozens of streets and highways in the city, including parts of I-69, I-45, and TX 288 and 290, were closed by fast-rising water. [25] As the storm moved inland into Louisiana, a tornado watch was issued for the southern and eastern part of the state as well as Southern Mississippi. In the post-season analysis, it was discovered that Subtropical Storm Alpha had developed six hours before it. The season has produced almost twice the average number of storms with 23 named so far. The low moved slowly southwestward, with development hampered initially by the development of nearby Hurricane Sally. The outer bands of Tropical Storm Beta, one of several storms creating a record-breaking Atlantic hurricane season, are lashing the Texas coast. For official path information, as well as land hazards and other data: View the Beta storm track page » To view spaghetti models for all active hurricanes, cyclones, … Voluntary evacuations have been issued for several parts of the county, including residents west of the Galveston Seawall and Jamaica Beach, "which has already experienced some pretty significant flooding," Henry said. John Bel Edwards urged residents to get ready for the storm. The Atlantic hurricane season officially runs from June 1 through November 30. A storm surge warning is also in effect from Port Aransas, Texas, to the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana, where 2 to 4 feet of storm surge is possible. Beta's slow motion the next few days has the potential to produce a long duration rainfall event along the western Gulf Coast. [8] However, post-storm analysis revealed that the system had developed into a tropical depression several hours earlier, at 12:00 UTC that day. Around the time of landfall, a wind gust of 48 mph (77 km/h) was recorded in Port Lavaca. Beta then became nearly stationary on September 19, before starting to move west towards the Texas coast the next day, weakening as it approached. [27], A tornado warning was issued for Galveston County, Texas on the afternoon of September 21, although no tornadoes was confirmed.