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EYE OF HURRICANE CLAUDETTE MOVES ONTO 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 11 a.m. EDT the center of Hurricane Claudette was located near latitude 28.5 north, longitude 96.1 west or about 20 miles east of Port O’Connor, Texas. Claudette is moving toward the west-northwest near 10 mph, and this motion is expected to continue for the next 24 hours. This motion should bring the eye of Claudette across the Texas coast in the Port O’Connor to Palacios area within the next 1 to 2 hours. (Click NOAA satellite image for larger view of Hurricane Claudette taken at 10:45 a.m. EDT on July 15, 2003. Click here for high resolution, which is a very large file. Please credit “NOAA.”)
NOAA National Weather Service Doppler radar data indicates part of the eye has already moved onto the coast. 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 11:36 a.m. EDT on July 15, 2003. Click here for latest Doppler radar images. Please credit “NOAA.”) Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 80 mph with higher gusts. Weakening is expected after the eye of Claudette moves inland. Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 30 miles from the center, and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 175 miles. 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.
The latest minimum central pressure reported by an Air Force Reserve hurricane hunter aircraft is 981 mb, 28.97 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. At 11 a.m. EDT, the tropical storm warning is discontinued for the Louisiana coast. A tropical storm warning remains in effect for the Texas coast north of High Island to Sabine Pass. The hurricane watch is discontinued south of Baffin Bay to Brownsville, Texas.
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
NOAA National Hurricane Center — Get the latest advisories here
NOAA Atlantic Hurricanes Database — 150 Years of Atlantic Hurricanes
NOAA Forecasters Say Six to Nine Hurricanes Could Threaten in 2003
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale
NOAA River Forecast Centers
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24-hour Observed Precipitation as of 8 a.m. today
Latest rainfall data as of 8 a.m. EDT today
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NOAA Hurricanes Page
NOAA Storm Watch — Get the latest severe weather information across the USA Media Contact:
Frank Lepore, NOAA Hurricane Center, (305) 229-4404
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