Ending a 56 year old drought, Hurricane Harvey is making history in Texas this evening by being a major Category 4 hurricane at the moment of landfall. Major Hurricane Harvey struck San Jose Island roughly 4 miles east of Rockport, TX.
Major Hurricane Harvey made landfall at 10:00pm CT on August 25, 2017 near latitude 28.0 North, longitude 97.0 West. At landfall, Harvey was moving toward the northwest near 7 mph. The hurricane is expected to slow its forward motion and move slowly over southeastern Texas during the next couple of days. Maximum sustained winds are near 130 mph with higher gusts. Harvey is a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Weakening is forecast during the next 48 hours while the center of Harvey is over southeastern Texas. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 40 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 140 miles. A Texas Coastal Ocean Observing Network station at Aransas Pass recently reported sustained winds of 111 mph and a wind gust of 131 mph. The minimum central pressure just reported by an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft is 938 mb (27.70 inches).
Residents in or near Major Hurricane Harvey’s path should act on their hurricane action plans if they have not yet done so; those in the immediate impact zone should shelter in place. It may take days or weeks for crews to reach those that don’t follow evacuation requests in coastal communities. People along any Gulf or Atlantic coastline, and Hawaii, should be prepared every hurricane season; with Harvey here, people should ensure they are ready for the arrival of a potential disaster wherever they may be.
Experts believe this Atlantic Hurricane Season, which runs through to the end of November, will be a busy one. Dr. Phil Klotzbach and the experts at Colorado State University updated their seasonal outlook again on July 5, showing a much more active than normal season expected. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) also released their own forecast which shows this hurricane season to be likely more active than others.
