Forecaster: more hurricanes to come, but not to Valley

AUSTIN — The remaining two months of the Atlantic hurricane season should bring more storms but likely not to the Rio Grande Valley, a national forecaster said Tuesday.

“I think you should breathe a sign of relief this late in the season,” said William Gray, a forecaster at Colorado State University who has been predicting storms for 24 years.

Four named storms, including two hurricanes, are expected to form before hurricane season ends Nov. 30, according to Colorado State forecasters. At least one of those hurricanes will be a Category 3 or stronger, they predict.

It’s impossible to say just where those hurricanes might strike land, but history indicates storms forming in the Gulf of Mexico this late in the year have a tendency to head north or northeast, not west, Gray said. A hit on Texas in October or November would be unusual.

Cameron County leaders said they know they may have dodged the bullet this year, but they aren’t ready to put away the evacuation route maps just yet.

“We have to continue preparing as if something were to happen,” said County Judge Carlos Cascos.

State emergency managers likewise monitor predictions such as the one from Colorado State, but they never assume they are clear of the threat of a natural disaster, said Krista Moody, spokeswoman for Gov. Rick Perry.

Since June, 13 named storms have developed, including four hurricanes.

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Elizabeth Pierson Hernandez covers the state capital for Valley Freedom Newspapers. She is based in Austin and can be reached at (512) 323-0622.