Tropical Storm Alberto blamed for several deaths as it approaches Texas and Mexico

Tropical Storm Alberto moved into northeastern Mexico early Thursday morning as the first named storm of the season, bringing heavy rains that claimed at least three lives but also brought hope to a region suffering from a persistent, severe drought.

According to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, the storm is expected to reach Mexico’s Gulf Coast on Thursday morning, then rapidly weaken over land and dissipate during the day.

Rain from Alberto fell on both sides of the border, extending across much of the southern coast of Texas and into the Mexican state of Veracruz to the south.

The hurricane center said some areas along the Texas coast could see 5 to 10 inches of rain, with isolated amounts even higher. Some high-elevation areas in Mexico could see up to 20 inches of rain, which could lead to landslides and flash floods, particularly in the states of Tamaulipas, Coahuila and Nuevo Leon.

Mexican authorities downplayed the threat posed by Alberto, instead pinning their hopes on the storm’s ability to alleviate the parched region’s water needs.

“The (wind) speeds are not so high that you could expect that,” said Raúl Quiroga Álvarez, minister of hydrological resources for the state of Tamaulipas, during a press conference late Wednesday. Instead, he suggested that people should greet Alberto cheerfully. “That is what we have been hoping for in all of Tamaulipas for eight years.”

Large parts of Mexico are suffering from severe drought, with the north of Mexico being particularly hard hit. Quiroga pointed out that the state’s water reserves are low and that Mexico owes the United States a huge water debt through the shared use of the Rio Grande.

“This is a win-win situation for Tamaulipas,” he said.

But in the nearby state of Nuevo Leon, civil protection authorities reported three deaths linked to Alberto’s rains. They said a man died in the La Silla river in the city of Monterrey, the state capital, and two minors died of electrocution in the municipality of Allende. Local media reported the minors were riding bicycles in the rain.

The governor of Nuevo Leon, Samuel García, wrote on his account on the social media platform X that the subway and public transport in Monterrey would be suspended from Wednesday night to Thursday noon until Alberto has his passports.

People in Mexico expressed hope that Alberto would bring rain.

Blanca Coronel Moral, a resident of Tampico, ventured to the city’s waterfront on Wednesday to await Alberto’s arrival.

“We need this water that we are getting now, thank God. Let’s hope that we only get water,” said Coronel Moral. “Our lagoon, which provides us with drinking water, has completely dried up.”

In Tamaulipas, authorities closed schools for the rest of the week because of the risk of local flooding.