Tropical Storm Erin Forms While Tropical Storm Dean Strengthens

With its eyes set on Texas, Tropical Storm Erin is expected to make landfall Thursday near Corpus Christi.

(Read more about hurricane preparations in Corpus Christi here.)

At 10:30 a.m. CDT, the center of Erin was located 250 miles east of Brownsville, Tex. in the Gulf of Mexico and moving northwest bound at a speed of 12 mph. Maximum winds within the storm are 40 mph but are expected to strengthen in the coming days. According to the National Hurricane Center, some rain bands are already approaching the Texas coast.

Erin was initially observed by forecasters on Sunday brewing off the coast of Cancun, Mexico. The low pressure system moved northwest bound and eventually turned into Tropical Depression Five. Less than 24 hours later, a National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration Hurricane reconnaissance aircraft penetrated the storm and discovered that the sustained winds were higher than predicted by computer models.

Forecasters predict three to five inches of rain will fall along the coast of middle Texas.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Dean continues to strengthen over the Atlantic Ocean. By 11 a.m. CDT, the center of Dean was located 1,000 miles of the Lesser Antilles moving westward at a speed of 20 mph.

Intensification continues as maximum wind gusts within the storm are gusting higher than 60 mph. Dean is predicted to reach hurricane strength by late Thursday.
According to computer models, the general motion for the storm should remain westbound but is dependent on a middle-level trough over the Bahamas. Based on the forecast direction of this trough, Dean is expected to continue a westbound track, possibly further into the Gulf of Mexico, rather than sweep the coast of eastern Florida and the eastern seaboard.