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Tropical Storm Beta not forecast to strengthen, could still mar Texas coast

ORLANDO, Fla. — In Texas, Tropical Storm Beta is expected to make landfall between Corpus Christi and Galveston by Tuesday morning, and Central Florida will once again sit and watch as another tropical system batters the Gulf Coast.

Beta, the 23rd named Atlantic tropical storm in the 2020 hurricane season, is currently about 140 miles southeast of Galveston Texas with maximum sustained wind speeds of 60 miles per hour according to the National Hurricane Center.

Tropical Storm Beta could produce as much as 12 to 20 inches of rainfall from the middle Texas coast to southern Louisiana through Tuesday, with four to eight inches spreading northward into the lower Mississippi River Valley by mid-week, according to the NHC.

In terms of storm surge, if the peak of this rainfall coincides with high tide, areas such as Galveston Bay, San Luis Pass and Sabine Pass could be flooded with three to five feet of water according to the NHC; the deepest water is forecast to pool along the immediate coast where the surge will be accompanied by large, dangerous waves.

Though Tropical Storm Beta is not forecast to strengthen into a hurricane, instead turning to the north and weakening as it moves inland, tropical storm conditions and warnings stretch into the southwestern Louisiana coast.

National Weather Service forecasters predict “a tornado or two” on Monday near the middle-to-upper Texas coast or the southwestern Louisiana coast, according to the NHC.

While you’re here, check out our 2020 Hurricane Guide!

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