Tropical Depression #3 has formed in the Gulf of Mexico but is forecast to die soon; it will be moving into Mexico before it has a chance to develop into anything too significant. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) does forecast the system to become a marginal tropical storm tonight prior to impacting Mexico early tomorrow morning; Nevertheless, heavy flooding rains are expected in areas hit not long ago by Tropical Storm Alberto.
As of 7pm CDT, the center of Tropical Depression #3 was located at 19.8N 95.6W roughly 145 miles southeast of Tuxpan, Mexico. Maximum sustained winds are 35 mph and the present movement is west at 12 mph. The minimum central pressure is at 1006 mb or 29.71″.
The Government of Mexico has issued a Tropical Storm Warning from Cabo Rojo to Puerto Veracruz. A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area, in this case within the next 12 hours.
While maximum sustained winds are near 35 mph with higher gusts now, the NHC expects some strengthening tonight and the cyclone is forecast to become a tropical storm before it reaches the coast later tonight. Once and if it becomes a named tropical storm, it will be called Chris. The system is then expected to weaken and dissipate after it moves inland over eastern Mexico.
This tropical cyclone is expected to produce rainfall totals of 4-8″ across portions of eastern Mexico into Monday, with localized maximum totals of 15″. According to the NHC, this heavy rainfall will result in areas of flooding, with mudslides possible in areas of higher terrain.
