Tropical Storm Barry

While keeping an eye out on atmospheric disturbances, meteorologists watched Tropical Depression Two in the Gulf of Mexico form into the second named tropical storm of the season, Tropical Storm Barry. An Air Force reconnaissance aircraft sighted the storm 75 miles east-northeast of Veracruz, Mexico on Wednesday June 19, 2013.

Officials have announced a tropical storm warning from Punta El Lagarto to Barra de Nautla, Mexico.

Tropical Storm Barry inches towards the coast at 10 mph from the southeast portion of the Gulf of Mexico and is expected to make landfall at Veracruz Thursday morning. While Barry barely gains its title as a  “tropical storm” with 4o mph maximum sustained winds (criteria includes sustained winds of at least 39 mph), coastal areas have tended to shelter preparation. Noemi Guzman, a Veracruz state Civil Protection secretary, claims that the city has already organized 2,000 shelters which, in combination with other facilities, could serve as a refuge for over 300,000 people.

Although Tropical Storm Barry has yet to set foot on land, other areas in North America have reported heavy rainfall from the disturbance. Representatives from the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami say that Barry has been credited for the severe flooding of as much as 10 inches in certain parts of Florida.