Hurricane update - 16 August

Erin is coming ashore in Middle Texas this morning local time as a minimal tropical storm, but with heavy rains. I gave the links yesterday; local hurricane statements remain in force for Corpus Christi, Houston / Galveston and Brownsville.

Flossie is dissipating south of Hawaii

That was the good news. Here is the bad.

Sepat is a supertyphoon which will strike Taiwan a severe hammerblow early on Saturday local time, with winds of approximately 130 knots. That equates to 145 mph or 230 kph. Gusts will be in the region of 160 knots, that is 180 mph or nearly 300 kph. The south of the island will bear the brunt of the impact.

Dean is heading for the Lesser Antilles as a category 1 huricane, and I copy below the warnings and watches information from my Tropical Cyclones blog, bulletin 457.

After passing the Antilles, Dean will proceed down the Caribbean to make landfall on the Yucatan peninsula in 5 days' time, with winds of 115 knots / 130 mph / 205 kph. Its course beyond that depends on what's left of the storm after passage over the peninsula. Keep watching this first hurricane of the Atlantic season!

Hurricane warnings
A hurricane warning means that hurricane conditions are likely within 24 hours. Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion.Hurricane force winds presently extend 25 miles from the centre - this radius will continue to expand.

Dominica, St Lucia

Hurricane watches
A hurricane watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within 36 hours. Hurricane or tropical storm warnings are likely to come into force later this morning

Martinique, Guadeloupe and dependecies, Saba and St Eustatius

Tropical storm warnings
Tropical storm warnings mean that tropical storm conditions are likely within 24 hours

Barbados

Tropical storm watch
Tropical storm watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible within 36 hours

St Vincent, St Maarten / St Martin