Galveston, TX – September 17, 2020 – A slow-moving Tropical Depression is expected to develop into a Tropical Storm later today and could track slowly up the Texas Coast, bringing high tides and rain, according to the National Weather Service.
There is still a high degree of uncertainty in the organization and path of the storm, however, we want our residents to be aware and prepared for high tides that cause tidal flooding in low-lying areas of the island, particularly the West End, Harborside Drive, areas north of Broadway and lower elevation areas of downtown.
With a degree of uncertainty, the National Weather Service has forecast tides 5-7’ above mean low tide beginning Sunday night and continuing throughout the week until Thursday, in addition to rain.
While there is a high degree of uncertainty, a Friday morning forecast has the worst-case scenario as the storm tracking west toward southeast Texas and moving up along the Texas Coast. With high tides, Galveston area should prepare for:
- Beach erosion caused by high tides
- Street flooding
- Possible water inundation in low-lying beach and bay communities
- Poor street drainage with any rainfall next week
The City of Galveston is preparing for high tides and rain by running our storm management drainage plans. We encourage residents to properly dispose of any items in their yard that could blow or float into drains, such as tree limbs or yard brush.
We recommend residents who live in low-lying areas with tidal flooding to prepare for the possibility of impassable roads, which could cause residents in those areas to be homebound. As always during storm season, residents should make sure they have any medications needed.
If the system develops into a Tropical Storm today as forecasters predict, it would be Tropical Storm Beta, which is the first Greek alphabet storm to develop in the Gulf of Mexico.
The National Weather Service morning update is available here.