US Gulf Coast braces for storm impact as hurricane season intensifies | US Weather

A relatively calm respite for Americans in terms of hurricane activity seems to be coming to an end: a storm is forming in the Gulf of Mexico that is expected to develop into a hurricane when it reaches the US coast on Wednesday.

The storm, named Tropical Storm Francine, was located about 300 miles south of the mouth of the Rio Grande and is expected to move north and hit the Gulf Coast of Louisiana as a Category 1 or even 2 hurricane. Such storms have winds of at least 74 miles per hour (119 km/h).

The storm is expected to bring heavy rains and flooding to northeastern Mexico, southern Texas, southern Louisiana and southern Mississippi through Thursday, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned.

It is still unclear where exactly the storm will impact, but the NHC said the risk of life-threatening storm surges and damaging winds increased in parts of coastal Louisiana and northern Texas starting Tuesday evening.

The new storm brings an end to a relatively harmless period for Americans, after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NAO) predicted an above-average hurricane season in the Atlantic this year with up to 25 named storms.

Fears of a severe hurricane season have been fuelled by record-breaking Atlantic temperatures as a result of the climate crisis, the main cause of which is fossil fuel burning. The development of La Niña climate conditions in the Pacific, which normally reduce the Atlantic wind shear that spreads storms apart, is also expected to contribute to a hurricane season that is forecast to be stronger than normal.

Since June, there have been five named storms, three of which became hurricanes. The latest storm will essentially coincide with the arrival of the statistical peak of the U.S. hurricane season: September 10.

The threat of a severe storm off the coast of the Gulf of Mexico comes at a time when Americans many miles away are grappling with another threat exacerbated by global warming: wildfires.

An out-of-control wildfire in a national forest about 65 miles east of Los Angeles threatens 35,000 structures, including thousands of private homes, fire officials warned. Evacuation orders have been issued for several days due to a persistent heat wave and expected thunderstorms that have exacerbated the risk.