The third named storm of the 2024 Atlantic season made landfall late Sunday night, pounding parts of eastern Mexico with strong winds and heavy rain.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Tropical Depression 3 strengthened into Tropical Storm Chris in the Gulf of Mexico around 10 p.m. Sunday night.
The storm made landfall at 11:50 p.m., according to Hurricane Specialist Lisa Bucci, and should weaken quickly throughout the day Monday as it moves inland over eastern Mexico. The storm dissipated as it moved over higher terrain later in the morning.
Chris had maximum winds of 40 mph.
Rainfall totals of 4 to 8 inches are expected across parts of eastern Mexico through Monday, with some locations seeing as much as 12 inches. Flooding and mudslides are possible.
Tropical Storm #Chris has formed in the Bay of Campeche - the 3rd Atlantic named storm of the 2024 #hurricane season. On average, the 3rd Atlantic named storm forms on August 3rd. pic.twitter.com/4kXOuiruE0
— Philip Klotzbach (@philklotzbach) July 1, 2024
Chris' landfall comes as as major Hurricane Beryl continues to move toward the Caribbean on Monday morning.
Beryl made history Sunday as the earliest Category 4 hurricane to form in the Atlantic. The storm was a Cat 3 at 3 a.m. Monday, with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph.
The hurricane was nearing the Windward Islands early Monday as it moves west at 20 mph. Heavy rainfall and localized flooding, as well as catastrophic winds and life threatening storm surge.
The islands Beryl is barrelling over don't usually have to deal with major hurricanes, Weather Channel meteorologist Jim Cantore said Monday morning.
"Weather should deteriorate rapidly across the Windward Islands this morning as the system passes through," Cantore said on X. "Godspeed all."
Beryl is expected to remain a powerful, major hurricane as it moves toward the Caribbean Sea this week. A tropical storm watch is in effect for portions of the southern coast of the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
