Norbert – hurricane hits Mexico, Texas expects flooding

A hurricane named Norbert reminds us it’s still “the season” and that we need to keep an eye on west Texas – as well as a reminder to consider revising the list of hurricane names as Odile is next and now a tropical storm.

Norbert, a Category 2 storm with winds of up to 105 miles (165 kph), hit land near Puerto Charley on the southwest coast of Baja California, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

It was expected to sweep over a sparsely populated stretch of the peninsula, cross the Gulf of California and then make a second landfall Saturday night in northwestern Mexico’s mainland — likely as a hurricane, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said…

The storm’s remnants were expected to dump more rain on water-logged West Texas, where authorities were preparing for more flooding.

State and local officials plan to activate an emergency operations center Monday in Presidio, where an earthen levee is struggling to hold back the swollen Rio Grande. (emphasis added)

The Governor of Baja California Sur state, Narciso Agundez, said officials here are “very worried.”

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Odile hugged the southwest coast of Mexico.

Flooding in Acapulco forced officials to cancel classes at schools. Civil Protection officials in Guerrero state urged about 10,000 people living along river banks or other dangerous areas to evacuate.

Mudslides and fallen trees blocked roads, and 150 homes were under 13 feet (4 meters) of water in El Paraiso, a small town north of Acapulco.

Odile was located about 60 miles (100 kilometers) southwest of Zihuatenejo, a resort town northof Acapulco and was moving northwest at about 13 mph (20 kph). Odile could become a hurricane, and a small deviation in its path could bring the storm inland, the hurricane center said…

More as news becomes available…