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Tropical Storm Harold

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For other cyclones named Harold or Herold, see List of storms named Harold.
Tropical Storm Harold
Tropical Storm Harold at peak intensity, nearing landfall on August 22
Meteorological history
FormedAugust 21, 2023
DissipatedAugust 23, 2023
Tropical storm
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS)
Highest winds60 mph (95 km/h)
Lowest pressure995 mbar (hPa); 29.38 inHg
Overall effects
Fatalities1 direct
Missing1
Damage$505,000 (2023 USD)
Areas affectedSouthwestern United States, Northern Mexico
IBTrACSEdit this at Wikidata / [1][2][3][4]
Part of the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season

Tropical Storm Harold was a moderate tropical storm that made landfall in South Texas in August 2023. The eighth named storm[a] of the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season, Harold developed from a tropical wave that entered the Gulf of Mexico on August 20, after passing through the Bahamas and Straits of Florida. The system steadily organized over the following days, over record-warm sea-surface temperatures in the Gulf, as it progressed westward. Although the disturbance had not become organized enough to become a tropical cyclone yet, due to the threat it posed to southern Texas, the United States–based National Hurricane Center (NHC) initiated advisories on the system as Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine on August 21. The disturbance organized into a tropical depression six hours later, before strengthening into a tropical storm the following morning and receiving the name Harold. Harold continued to strengthen as it moved quickly westward, and the cyclone made landfall on Padre Island, Texas, around 15:00 UTC[b] on August 22, as a 60 mph (95 km/h) tropical storm. Harold quickly weakened as it moved inland over southern Texas and dissipated on August 23, though its remnant mid-level circulation and associated moisture affected the central United States for several more days.

Harold led to severe wind gusts and significant rainfall as it struck Texas. Corpus Christi reported 5.25 in (133 mm) of rain from Harold, including a daily record of 4.74 in (120 mm) on August 22; similarly significant rainfall was reported in northern Mexico, peaking at 4 in (100 mm) in Piedras Negras in the state of Coahuila. A modest storm surge of up to 2.2 ft (0.67 m) was reported at San Luis Pass. Wind gusts of up to 67 mph (108 km/h) affected the area, and over 35,000 electricity customers lost power during the storm. One school district in Texas had to shut down for several days following the storm due to the damage Harold inflicted on its classrooms. The remnants of Harold affected the southwestern United States for several days, producing flash flooding that killed one person and left another missing in Nevada. Overall damage from Harold was minor in most areas, however, totaling to around $505,000 (2023 USD).

Meteorological history

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Map plotting the track and the intensity of the storm, according to the Saffir–Simpson scale
Map plotting the storm's track and intensity, according to the Saffir–Simpson scale
Map key
Saffir–Simpson scale
  Tropical depression (≤38 mph, ≤62 km/h)
  Tropical storm (39–73 mph, 63–118 km/h)
  Category 1 (74–95 mph, 119–153 km/h)
  Category 2 (96–110 mph, 154–177 km/h)
  Category 3 (111–129 mph, 178–208 km/h)
  Category 4 (130–156 mph, 209–251 km/h)
  Category 5 (≥157 mph, ≥252 km/h)
  Unknown
Storm type
triangle Extratropical cyclone, remnant low, tropical disturbance, or monsoon depression

Harold developed from a tropical wave that left the west coast of Africa sometime between August 8–10. The wave crossed the tropical Atlantic Ocean over the next week.[1] Convection increased over the northern of the wave on August 17, to the north of the Dominican Republic.[1][5] The disturbance progressed westward, passing through The Bahamas[6] and southern Florida over the following days,[7] entering the Gulf of Mexico the morning of August 20.[8] The developing system became better organized as it crossed the Gulf, but lacked sufficient organization to be deemed a tropical cyclone by late on August 21. Despite this, due to the National Hurricane Center's (NHC) expectation that the system would strengthen into a tropical storm and strike the Texas coast the next day, advisories were initiated on the system as Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine at 15:00 UTC on August 21.[9] About three hours after being designated a potential tropical cyclone, the system acquired a closed, well-defined circulation; it thus met the criteria of a tropical cyclone and became the ninth tropical depression of the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season at 18:00 UTC that day.[1]

Wind history of Tropical Storm Harold, with orange shaded areas representing areas of tropical-storm force (39 mph (63 km/h) or greater) winds.

The newly formed cyclone continued to become better organized as it moved more quickly westward toward the Texas coast, steered by a mid-level ridge to its north. The depression was upgraded to Tropical Storm Harold at 6:00 UTC on August 22, as the broad cyclone's rain bands began to move onshore.[10] Shortly before landfall, Harold's center reformed to the north of its previous position, and the storm strengthened further to achieve its peak intensity, with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (80 km/h)[11] and a minimum barometric pressure of 996 millibars.[12] Harold made landfall on Padre Island, Texas by 15:00 UTC at peak intensity.[13] Harold weakened quickly as it moved inland, dropping back to tropical depression status about six hours later, at which time the Weather Prediction Center (WPC) took over responsibility for issuing advisories on the storm from the NHC.[14] Late that day, Tropical Depression Harold crossed into northern Mexico and continued to steadily weaken.[15] The WPC issued its final advisory on Harold at 15:00 UTC on August 23 as its surface low became increasingly ill-defined and dissipated far inland over Mexico.[16] The depression finally degenerated to a remnant low over the Big Bend region of Texas that day.[1] Harold's remnant circulation continued off to the north, crossing back into the United States and passing over portions of the Great Plains. The remnant circulation then turned east and passed through the Midwest before last being noted over Kentucky on August 27.[17]

Preparations and impact

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United States

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Texas

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See also: List of United States tornadoes from July to August 2023 § August 22 event

On August 21, upon Harold's precursor's designation as a potential tropical cyclone, a tropical storm warning was issued for much of the coast of southern Texas, from the mouth of the Rio Grande river, at the Texas-Mexico border, up to Port O'Connor, placing 1.3 million residents under the tropical storm warning, with rainfall anticipated to reach up to 7 in (180 mm).[18] A Tropical Storm Watch was issued from north of Port O’Connor to Sargent. The Texas Division of Emergency Management, the state government's emergency management division, was deployed ahead of Harold's expected landfall, and the Texas State Emergency Operations Center was activated to Level II that day, indicating "escalated response conditions".[19] Several school districts in multiple communities across the southern Texas coast were closed in advance of the storm for several days.[20] City services in Corpus Christi were to remain in place during the storm, including public works and transportation.[21] Residents across southern Texas were advised to prepare for the potential for flash flooding and tornadoes.[22]

Street flooding as a result of Tropical Storm Harold in Laredo, Texas.

Harold struck South Texas with strong winds and heavy rain as it moved across the region. A modest storm surge of 1.6–2.2 feet (0.67 m) was reported in areas including Port Lavaca, Galveston Bay, and San Luis Pass. Sustained winds of 36 mph (58 km/h), with stronger gusts of 59 mph (95 km/h), were reported at Corpus Christi International Airport, as well as 3.06 in (78 mm) of rainfall. A peak wind gust of 67 mph (107 km/h) was measured at Loyola Beach, while rainfall peaked at 6.98 in (177 mm) in Orange Grove.[1] Harold's rains were somewhat beneficial in certain areas of Southern Texas, which was in the midst of a moderate to severe drought before Harold's landfall.[23] Harold dropped a total of 4.74 in (120 mm) of rain in a 24-hour period in Corpus Christi, setting a new daily rainfall record for the city, surpassing the previous record set by the much more powerful Hurricane Bret in 1999. Further, Corpus Christi was originally on track for one of its driest summers on record before Harold's landfall, but following the storm the city's summer rainfall rose above the seasonal average.[24] Total rainfall from Harold reached 5.42 in (138 mm) in Corpus Christi and 5.15 in (131 mm) in Portland. Wind gusts of 65 mph (105 km/h) affected Corpus Christi as well.[25] Two EF0 tornadoes were recorded in the counties of Live Oak and Jim Wells, however they caused minimal damage.[26]

Over 35,000 homes and business lost power due to Harold.[27] The London Independent School District was shut down for several days due to damage sustained during the storm.[28] Floods in Robstown inundated roads; firefighters in Robstown monitored flood-prone streets.[29] Gusty winds caused minor damage across Corpus Christi, mostly limited to downed trees and fences. A light pole at a McDonald's restaurant was also knocked down.[30] Heavy rain caved in ceiling tiles inside a building owned by the American Legion in Corpus Christi, which had already been damaged by Hurricane Harvey in 2017.[31] Storm surge raised water levels up to 2.6 ft (0.8 m) in Corpus Christi Bay. Storm surge flooding inundated the parking lot of the Art Museum of South Texas, as well as closing multiple roads and turnaround of U.S. Route 181 in the North Beach neighborhood.[32] Storm surge also scattered debris and caused beach erosion on Padre Island, threatening unhatched sea turtle eggs.[33] A portable toilet was blown over by strong winds on a Padre Island beach, disposing large puddles of waste. Authorities warned visitors to keep away from these puddles as they could be inhabited by snakes.[34] In Kleberg County, tropical storm-force winds downed trees across the Texas A&M University Kingsville campus.[35] Street flooding also occurred in Kingsville.[36] First responders performed a water rescue near Alfred, after a vehicle attempted to traverse a flooded low-level crossing.[37] Several roads were closed due to flooding in Laredo, including an intersection of Interstate 35.[38] Across Laredo, 15 high water rescues were performed.[39] Overall, damage across Texas totaled $381,000.[2]

Elsewhere

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As Harold progressed inland, flash flood watches were issued in parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah.[22] The remnants of Tropical Storm Harold brought rainfall to Colorado, with 0.73 in (19 mm) of rain falling in Denver. The highest rainfall total in the state was 2.49 in (63 mm) in Nathrop.[40] The storm brought the first Atlantic tropical rain in the state in 15 years.[41] The heavy rainfall in Colorado resulted in flash floods and mudflows. The collection of water on the burn scar of the Grizzly Creek Fire resulted in a mudslide that closed a portion of Interstate 70 near Glenwood Springs.[42] Minor flooding occurred in Cortez, which entered a few basements.[43] Flooding also submerged roads and entered basements in De Beque, Marble, and Rifle. Damage across Colorado reached $24,000.[4][44][45] Heavy rainfall occurred in New Mexico, reaching a peak amount of 3.3 in (84.6 mm) in La Luz. Multiple locations across the Sacramento Mountains recorded rainfall totals in excess of 2 in (51 mm), as well.[46] A rockslide blocked part of U.S. Route 82 near Mountain Park.[47]

Rainfall produced by Harold and its remnants across the United States from August 19-27.

Moisture from Harold, combined with the remnants of Eastern Pacific Hurricane Hilary, also led to rainfall across parts of Arizona and Nevada.[48] The Paria River rose up to 6.6 ft (2 m) above normal late on August 24 in Marble Canyon.[49] The scar from the Schultz Fire and Pipeline Fire resulted in a debris flow that blocked a road near Sunset Crater.[50] Thunderstorms over the Las Vegas Valley resulted in numerous severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings being issued.[51] Only around half an inch (13 mm) of precipitation was observed in most of Las Vegas.[52] Although, a pump station along Desert Inn Road near the Las Vegas Strip recorded a maximum precipitation amount of 1.34 in (34 mm) within an hour.[53] Despite the overall low amount of rainfall the desert environment of the region led to these rainfall totals had a more significant effect.[52] Flash flooding inundated parts of the Las Vegas Strip.[3] One person drowned in a wash amidst the intense flooding, while another was reported missing.[3] The Harrah's Las Vegas casino suffered damage to ceiling tiles and water leaks.[51] Losses in Nevada reached $100,000.[3] Heavy rainfall was observed in Utah, with rainfall rates in excess of 0.4 in (10 mm) at Mary Jane Canyon in Grand County. The resultant downstream flooding swept away a woman and her dog, however, both were rescued without injuries.[54] Further east in Nebraska, the remnants of Harold produced heavy rainfall in Cheyenne County, which flooded roads in Sidney, stranding a vehicle in high water.[55]

Mexico

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Moderate rainfall and gusty winds affected portions of the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Chihuahua, Nuevo León and Coahuila, although the strongest winds and heaviest flooding remained north of the states.[56] The heaviest rainfall from Harold in Mexico occurred in the city of Piedras Negras in Coahuila, with over 4 in (100 mm) falling within a few hours.[57] Street flooding was reported in Nuevo Laredo.[58]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ This figure excludes an unnamed subtropical storm in January 2023
  2. ^ All times are in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) unless otherwise noted

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Richard Pasch; Aidan Mahoney; Heather Nepaul (January 30, 2024). Tropical Cyclone Report: Tropical Storm Harold (PDF) (Report). National Hurricane Center. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Event: Tropical Storm in Coastal Kleberg County, TX, National Centers for Environmental Information, August 22, 2023, retrieved July 21, 2024
  3. ^ a b c d Storm Events Database - Event Details (Report). Clark County, Nevada: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. August 23, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Event: Heavy Rain in Mesa County, Colorado, National Centers for Environmental Information, August 24, 2023, retrieved July 21, 2024
  5. ^ Papin, Philippe (August 17, 2023). Tropical Weather Outlook, 800 PM EDT Thu Aug 17 2023 (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  6. ^ Bucci, Lisa (August 19, 2023). Tropical Weather Outlook, 800 AM EDT Sat Aug 19 2023 (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  7. ^ Kelly, Larry; Brown, Daniel (August 19, 2023). Tropical Weather Outlook, 800 PM EDT Sat Aug 19 2023 (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  8. ^ Papin, Phillipe; Cangialosi, John (August 20, 2023). Tropical Weather Outlook, 800 AM EDT Sun Aug 20 2023 (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  9. ^ Cangialosi, John (August 21, 2023). Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine Discussion Number 1 (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  10. ^ Pasch, Richard (August 22, 2023). Tropical Storm Harold Discussion Number 4 (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  11. ^ Cangialosi, John; Brown, Daniel (August 22, 2023). Tropical Storm Harold Tropical Cyclone Update (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  12. ^ Cangialosi, John (August 22, 2023). Tropical Storm Harold Intermediate Advisory Number 5A (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  13. ^ Cangialosi, John (August 22, 2023). Tropical Storm Harold Discussion Number 5 (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  14. ^ Cangialosi, John (August 22, 2023). Tropical Depression Harold Discussion Number 6 (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  15. ^ Gallina, Gregg (August 23, 2023). Tropical Depression Harold Advisory Number 7 (Report). College Park, Maryland: Weather Prediction Center. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  16. ^ Carbin, Greg (August 23, 2023). Remnants of Harold Advisory Number 9 (Report). College Park, Maryland: Weather Prediction Center. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  17. ^ Harold 2023 Rainfall (Map). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  18. ^ Oladipo, Glorida; Canon, Gabrielle (August 22, 2023). "Thousands lose power as Texas braces for deluge from Tropical Storm Harold". The Guardian. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  19. ^ "Governor Abbott Deploys Resources Ahead Of Tropical Depression Nine" (Press release). Austin, Texas: Office of the Texas Governor. August 21, 2023. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  20. ^ Williams, Haley (August 22, 2023). "Schools: Tropical Storm Harold forces delays, closures for Coastal Bend schools into Wednesday". Corpus Christi, Texas: KIII. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  21. ^ "Corpus Christi Weathers Tropical Storm Harold". Corpus Christi, Texas: City of Corpus Christi. August 23, 2023. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  22. ^ a b Yablonski, Steven; Brinkmann, Heather; Oberholtz, Chris; Sistek, Scott; Andrews, Hillary (August 22, 2023). "Harold weakens to tropical depression after dumping torrential rain on Texas". Corpus Christi, Texas: Fox News. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  23. ^ Henson, Bob (August 22, 2023). "Harold hits South Texas, Franklin heads for Hispaniola". New Haven, Connecticut: Yale Climate Connections. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  24. ^ Carly Smith (August 23, 2023). "Tropical Storm Harold brings rain to drought stricken Coastal Bend, and the watershed for the Nueces and Frio River". Corpus Christi, Texas: KIII. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  25. ^ Yablonski, Steven; Brinkmann, Heather; Oberholtz, Chris; Sistek, Scott; Andrews, Hillary (August 22, 2023). "Harold weakens to tropical depression after dumping torrential rain on Texas". Corpus Christi, Texas: Fox News. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  26. ^ "Tropical Storm Harold TCR (2023)" (PDF). National Hurricane Center. 30 January 2024.
  27. ^ Oladipo, Glorida; Canon, Gabrielle (August 22, 2023). "Thousands lose power as Texas braces for deluge from Tropical Storm Harold". The Guardian. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  28. ^ Chavez, Makaylah (August 23, 2023). "London ISD closes all campuses after Tropical Storm Harold damaged classrooms". KRIS-TV. Corpus Christi, Texas. Archived from the original on August 27, 2023. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
  29. ^ Althea Castro de la Mata (August 22, 2023). "City of Robstown experiencing flooded streets from TS Harold". KRIS-TV. Robstown, Texas. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  30. ^ Event: Tropical Storm in Coastal Nueces County, TX, National Centers for Environmental Information, August 22, 2023, retrieved July 21, 2024
  31. ^ Michelle Hoffman (August 25, 2023), Tropical Storm Harold damages building of local non-profit veteran organization, KRIS-TV, retrieved July 21, 2024
  32. ^ Event: Storm Surge/Tide in Coastal Nueces County, TX, National Centers for Environmental Information, August 22, 2023, retrieved July 21, 2024
  33. ^ Bill Churchwell (August 22, 2023). "Coastal Bend faces erosion, impact on wildlife following Tropical Storm Harold". KIII-TV. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  34. ^ Simoné Simpson (August 23, 2023). ""This is really something else!" Residents, visitors react to Tropical Storm Harold's aftermath". KIII-TV. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  35. ^ Event: Tropical Storm in Inland Kleberg County, Texas, National Centers for Environmental Information, August 22, 2023, retrieved July 21, 2024
  36. ^ Event: Heavy Rain in Kleberg County, TX, National Centers for Environmental Information, August 22, 2023, retrieved July 21, 2024
  37. ^ Event: Heavy Rain in Jim Wells County, TX, National Centers for Environmental Information, August 22, 2023, retrieved July 21, 2024
  38. ^ Event: Heavy Rain in Webb County, TX, National Centers for Environmental Information, August 22, 2023, retrieved July 21, 2024
  39. ^ County and City Impacts Associated with Tropical Storm Harold (2023) (PDF). National Weather Service Office—Corpus Christi (Report). August 26, 2023. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  40. ^ Here's how much rain fell in Colorado, 9News, August 26, 2023
  41. ^ Colorado receives first Atlantic tropical rain in 15 years, 9News, August 25, 2023
  42. ^ Event:Heavy Rain/Burn Area in Garfield County, CO, National Centers for Environmental Information, August 24, 2023, retrieved July 21, 2024
  43. ^ Event:Heavy Rain in Montezuma County, CO, National Centers for Environmental Information, August 24, 2023, retrieved July 21, 2024
  44. ^ Event: Heavy Rain in Gunnison County, CO, National Centers for Environmental Information, August 24, 2023, retrieved July 21, 2024
  45. ^ Event: Heavy Rain in Garfield County, CO, National Centers for Environmental Information, August 24, 2023, retrieved July 21, 2024
  46. ^ Event: Heavy Rain in Otero County, NM, National Centers for Environmental Information, August 24, 2023, retrieved July 21, 2024
  47. ^ Event: Heavy Rain in Otero County, NM, National Centers for Environmental Information, August 24, 2023, retrieved July 21, 2024
  48. ^ Samuel Meltzer. 2023 Monsoon Review (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  49. ^ Event: Flash Flood in Coconino County, AZ, National Center for Environmental Information, August 24, 2023, retrieved July 21, 2024
  50. ^ Event: Heavy Rain in Coconino County, AZ, National Center for Environmental Information, August 24, 2023, retrieved July 21, 2024
  51. ^ a b Aleks Phillips (August 24, 2023). "Las Vegas Flooding Sweeps People Away as Strip Becomes River". Newsweek. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  52. ^ a b Gabe Lehman (August 24, 2023). "Flash flood hits Las Vegas Strip, breaks through casino ceiling". SFGate. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  53. ^ Marvin Clemons (August 2024). "Fire crews: Nobody found after extensive search in flood channel incidents". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  54. ^ Event: Heavy Rain in Grand County, UT, National Center for Environmental Information, August 24, 2023, retrieved July 21, 2024
  55. ^ Event: Heavy Rain in Cheyenne County, NE, National Center for Environmental Information, August 24, 2023, retrieved July 21, 2024
  56. ^ Yactayo, Noé (August 23, 2023). "Tormenta Tropical Harold en vivo hoy, 23/08/2023 – última hora en México y USA" (in Mexican Spanish). El Comercio Group. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  57. ^ Rodriguez, Josue (August 23, 2023). "Pega 'Harold' en Piedras Negras, deja vehículos varados, calles inundadas y árboles caídos". Vanguardia MX (in Mexican Spanish). Saltillo, Coahuila. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  58. ^ Alfredo Peña (August 22, 2023). "'Harold' floods Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas". Excelsior (in Mexican Spanish). Retrieved July 21, 2024.

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Weather Service.

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