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HURRICANE CLAUDETTE MAKES LANDFALL AT
MATAGORDA BAY ON THE MIDDLE TEXAS COAST (See the NOAA National Hurricane Center for the latest information on this storm. Complete advisories are posted at 11 a.m., 5 p.m., 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. All times are Eastern. Advisories are posted more frequently as the storm nears the USA mainland.) July 15, 2003 � The NOAA National Hurricane Center in Miami, Fla., reports that at 1 p.m. EDT the center of hurricane Claudette was located near latitude 28.5 north, longitude 96.7 west or about 15 miles west-northwest of Port O’Connor, Texas. This is also about 25 miles south-southeast of Victoria, Texas. Claudette is moving toward the west-northwest near 12 mph, and this general motion is expected to continue for the next 24 hours. (Click NOAA satellite image for larger view of Hurricane Claudette taken at 12:15 p.m. EDT on July 15, 2003. Click here for high resolution, which is a very large file. Please credit “NOAA.”)
During the past two hours, the eye of Claudette made landfall over the Matagorda Peninsula of the middle Texas coast. The eye will move farther inland during the afternoon hours. When the eye passes overhead, the winds will decrease to near calm and then increase to equal or even greater force than before the eye passed. Do not venture out during the passage of the eye. (Click NOAA National Weather Service Doppler Radar image in Houston, Texas, for larger view of Hurricane Claudette eyewall making landfall taken at 1:22 p.m. EDT on July 15, 2003. Click here for latest Doppler radar images. Please credit “NOAA.”)
Maximum sustained winds are near 80 mph with higher gusts. Weakening should begin shortly as the eye of Claudette moves further inland.
Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 30 miles from the center, and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 175 miles mainly to the east of the center. Hurricane conditions are occurring along portions of the middle Texas coast, with tropical storm conditions elsewhere along portions of the middle and upper Texas coast. Victoria recently reported a wind gust of 53 mph. Unofficial reports include a wind gust of 88 mph at a power plant in Matagorda County and a wind gust of 84 mph at Port Lavaca. (Click NOAA satellite image for larger view of Hurricane Claudette taken at 11:15 a.m. EDT on July 15, 2003. Click here for high resolution, which is a very large file. Please credit “NOAA.”)
The minimum central pressure reported by an Air Force Reserve Hurricane hunter aircraft just before landfall was 982 mb, 29.00 inches.
Storm surge flooding of 4 to 6 feet above normal tide levels, with higher levels in bays accompanied by large and dangerous battering waves, can be expected in the warning area near and to the north of where the center crosses the coast. Large swells have been impacting the shorelines elsewhere along the Texas coast and are creating above normal tides and dangerous surf conditions.
Storm total rainfall of 5 to 8 inches is possible in association with Claudette.
Isolated tornadoes are possible along the upper and middle Texas coastal areas through Tuesday night. A hurricane warning remains in effect along the Texas coast from Baffin Bay to High Island. A tropical storm warning remains in effect for the Texas coast north of High Island to Sabine Pass.
Special Statements from NOAA National Weather Service Forecast Offices. Corpus Christi, Texas Brownsville, Texas Houston/Galveston, Texas Houston, Texas, Doppler Radar Lake Charles, La.
For storm information specific to your area, please monitor products issued by NOAA National Weather Service local forecast offices. NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of the nation�s coastal and marine resources. NOAA is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Relevant Web Sites
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NOAA Atlantic Hurricanes Database — 150 Years of Atlantic Hurricanes
NOAA Forecasters Say Six to Nine Hurricanes Could Threaten in 2003
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