video: This GOES-East animation shows Tropical Storm Bill's movement and landfall from June 15-17. view more
Credit: NASA/NOAA GOES Project
A NASA animation of imagery from NOAA's GOES-East satellite shows the progression of Tropical Storm Bill through the western Gulf of Mexico, landfall in east Texas and weakening into a depression west of Dallas.
A GOES-East animation of infrared and visible imagery from June 15 through June 17 shows Tropical Storm Bill's movement and landfall. The animation was created by NASA/NOAA GOES Project at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
At 5 a.m. EDT 0900 UTC), the center of Tropical Depression Bill was located near latitude 31.0 North, longitude 97.1 West. The depression was moving toward the north near 13 mph (20 kph). This general motion is expected to continue through the day on June 16 with a turn to the northeast on Thursday, June 17. Maximum sustained winds were near 35 mph (55 kph). The estimated minimum central pressure is 1000 millibars.
The National Hurricane Center noted that Bill is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 4 to 8 inches over eastern Texas and eastern Oklahoma and 3 to 6 inches over western Arkansas and southern Missouri. Isolated maximum amounts of 12 inches are possible in Texas and Oklahoma. These rains may produce life-threatening flash floods. In addition to the heavy rains, tropical-storm-force winds were occurring east of the center during the morning of June 16. Those winds are expected to subside later in the day.
Storm surge and above normal tides along the Upper Texas and Western Louisiana coasts should subside later on June 16. However, as with any land falling tropical cyclone, an isolated tornado is possible. The National Hurricane Center noted that a brief tornado or two may occur over parts of eastern Texas and eastern Oklahoma during the day and night today, June 16.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) expects slow weakening over the next two days and by Thursday, June 18, the depression is expected to become a post-tropical low pressure area. NHC forecasts take the depression north and then east over the next several days entering south-central Oklahoma and exiting the eastern part of the state on Thursday, June 17. The remnants are expected to pass through northwestern Arkansas and through southern and eastern Missouri before moving into the Ohio Valley by Saturday, June 20. Updated forecasts can be obtained through the National Weather Service website: http://www.weather.gov.
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