Hanna downgrades to tropical storm while pummeling South Texas

The storm hovering over South Texas is no longer a hurricane.

Early Sunday morning, the National Hurricane Center downgraded Hanna from a category 1 hurricane to a tropical storm. However, rainfall is still anticipated to produce flash-floods and river flooding from southern to northern Texas.

“Tropical storm conditions are expected to persist into this afternoon near and to the east of the center of Hanna,” it said in a tweet. “Storm surge along the Texas coast should continue to diminish today.”

Hanna first hit the Texas coastline on Saturday at approximately 5 p.m., producing maximum sustained winds of 90 mph and heavy rain.

“We’ve been staying at home for five months because of the corona[virus],” said Corpus Christi Mayor Joe McComb. “So staying home doesn’t sound real popular, but right now this is a real important matter.”

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced some sheltering would occur in hotels so people wouldn’t be separated during the storm.

“We cannot allow this hurricane to lead to a more catastrophically deadly event by stoking additional spread of COVID-19 that could lead to fatalities,” he said.

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