2 US States Brace for Extreme Weather

Grappling with spiking coronavirus cases, Texas now has another worry to contend with: extreme weather. The Texas Tribune and KTRK report that Tropical Storm Hanna is heading for the Lone Star State's south-central coast, set to make landfall Saturday. It's predicted Hanna will turn into a Category 1 hurricane, with a hurricane warning issued by the National Hurricane Center from Port Mansfield to Mesquite Bay, a stretch that includes the city of Corpus Christi. An advisory from the center warns of the "danger of life-threatening storm surge," as well as heavy rains that could lead to flash flooding in areas.

"Storms like Hanna in the Gulf of Mexico are notoriously the hardest to forecast," a CNN meteorologist notes. "The water is so warm under the storm that rapid intensification can happen at any time, especially overnight when atmospheric shear goes down naturally." Meanwhile, Douglas, the first big eastern Pacific hurricane of the 2020 season, is barreling toward Hawaii, though it may weaken into a tropical storm by the time it makes landfall, set for Sunday, Weather.com reports. The storm system could end up affecting the entire island chain, depending on the storm's exact track. A hurricane watch has been issued for the Big Island of Hawaii, Oahu, and Maui County, with heavy rain and winds, coastal floods, and mudslides expected. (More tropical storms stories.)