Should Texas Be Worried About Tropical Storm Sara?

Another week in 2024, another tropical system that Texas needs to watch. This time, its Tropical Storm Sara.

This storm has fired up off the coast of Honduras, where its expected to drop heavy rainfall. This will lead to flash flooding and the threat of mudslides. These will be some of the same concerns that areas in Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Mexico will have to watch for as well.

Right now, this is a very slow moving storm, that will sit over Honduras for at least a day. Forecasters believe it will drop over a foot of rainfall on parts of the country. Eventually it will scrape into Belize, then across Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. Forecasts anticipate it will weaken to a Tropical Depression by the time it returns to the waters in the Gulf of Mexico early next week.

But once it gets back into the Gulf, the forecasts get a little scattered.

Some models have the storm pulling a hard right into the northern parts of the Gulf, and then aiming at Florida. While other models show an even harder right hand turn, and a wrap around that could take it back to where it started.

But as far as Texas goes, right now forecasters think the Lone Star State will be in the clear from this storm. A cold front is expected to push through Texas, and into the Gulf to meet Sara when its moving north. This cold front is the reason that some models have the storm moving east, or wrapping around.

Depending on how strong that front is, and where it meets Sara in the Gulf, will determine the outcome for Texas. If Sara slows down further, and doesn't move back into the Gulf in time to meet this front, things could look different.