Alex Expected to Make Landfall as Hurricane

The National Hurricane Center says that Tropical Storm Alex should make landfall by Thursday in northern Mexico. The agency expects the storm will continue to intensify before landfall, reaching hurricane status by the end of the day Tuesday.

Alex’s current maximum sustained winds are about 70 miles per hour. A category one hurricane has sustained winds of 74 to 95 miles per hour. In addition to wind concerns, the NHC expects total rainfall accumulation of six to 12 inches and a three- to five-foot storm surge on the coast.

Hurricane warnings are in effect along the coast of Texas, south of Baffin Bay to the Mouth of the Rio Grande and along the coast of Mexico from the Mouth of the Rio Grande to La Cruz. This area of the coastline is relatively sparsely populated. The largest towns located close to the projected landfall location are Brownsville, Texas, which has a population of around 140,000; and Matamoros, Mexico, which has a population of around 420,000.

In a statement, Newark, Calif.-based Risk Management Solutions noted Alex’s similarity to 2008’s Hurricane Dolly. That storm made landfall over south Padre Island, slightly north of Alex’s projected landfall location.

“Dolly was classified as a category 1 hurricane at landfall and caused some structural damage to properties on South Padre Island and some minor damage in Browsnville,” according to the company. “The Property Claims Service reported losses of just over $500 million associated with Hurricane Dolly.”

Nathan Golia is senior editor of Insurance & Technology. He joined the publication in 2010 as associate editor and covers all aspects of the nexus between insurance and information technology, including mobility, distribution, core systems, customer interaction, and risk ... View Full Bio