Tracking The Tropics 8/22/2023 5AM

Tropical Storm Harold made landfall on Padre Island, Texas, Tuesday morning and was dropping heavy rain on parts of the state, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm formed in the Gulf of Mexico overnight and is expected to bring strong winds and rain over the next several hours. 

Harold is projected to move west toward Laredo, Texas, which is on the state's border with Mexico, and continue to move in that direction, covering parts of northern Mexico, according to Weather Channel meteorologist Domenica Davis. After making landfall, winds from Harold are expected to reach 50 mph on Tuesday, but drop to 35 mph early Wednesday morning, then to 25 mph later on Wednesday.

Rain is moving in! We'll see bands of rain move through the area today. Be careful during your morning commute with some heavier bands likely. Remember, if you see water over a roadway, it doesnt take much to stall your vehicle. #txwx #TSHarold pic.twitter.com/XvnvqlVZ53

— NWS Corpus Christi (@NWSCorpus) August 22, 2023

The National Weather Service warned of flash floods for parts of the Southwest, with 3 to 5 inches of rain expected for some areas through early Wednesday. Some areas could get up to 7 inches of rain, the weather service said. The coast may also experience rough surf.

South Texas was expected to see 2 to 4 inches of rain through early Wednesday with "scattered instances" of flash flooding possible, according to the National Hurricane Center. 

Tropical storm warnings were in effect for the mouth of the Rio Grande to Port O'Connor, Texas, and for Port O'Connor to Sargent, Texas.

Here's the latest (7am Tuesday) position graphic on Tropical Storm #Harold... pic.twitter.com/VoO5DxzHk1

— NWS Corpus Christi (@NWSCorpus) August 22, 2023

The storm will continue to move west and may bring flash flood concerns with it, especially in the canyons of Utah, which are prone to flooding, according to the weather service. In addition to heavy rain, high winds could come with the storm as it moves inland.

On Tuesday morning, the weather service's office in Corpus Christi, Texas, issued warnings about high winds, rough surf and potential waterspouts and hail for Laguna Madre and Baffin Bay near the Gulf Coast.

"Rain is moving in!" the office posted to social media Tuesday morning. "We'll see bands of rain move through the area today. Be careful during your morning commute with some heavier bands likely. Remember, if you see water over a roadway, it doesn't take much to stall your vehicle."

In:
• Tropical Storm
• Texas

Caitlin O'Kane

Caitlin O'Kane is a digital content producer covering trending stories for CBS News and its good news brand, The Uplift.