US weather: Hurricane Tammy and Storm Norma to lash America with torrential rain and mudslides

The latest threat comes from two new storms–Hurricane Tammy and Tropical Storm Norma–closing in on the east and west coasts.

Off the east coast, Tammy should only brush the US although heavy rain over the Leeward Islands could trigger flash floods and ‘isolated’ mudslides, according to the National Hurricane Centre (NOAA).

Three thousand miles to the west, Tropical Storm Norma is sizing up the Mexican coast with heavy rain and ‘tropical storm conditions’ forecast before the United States feel a lick of her tail.

However, the deluge promises some relief to regions left parched after weeks of blistering heat and drought.

Orelon Sidney, a meteorologist for The Weather Channel, said: “Hurricane Norma is a category-2 storm expected to bring life-threatening wind, rain, storm surge to parts of Baja California.

“Most of the heavy rain is going to be offshore, and some of the rainfall is going to get entrained into a slow-moving cold front across the central US.

“It is going to bring some beneficial rain to parts of Texas that are parched as we get into the middle part of next week.”

The NOAA said heavy rain will hit Mexico bringing the risk of ‘urban flooding’ and mudslides.

Hurricane Tammy was feared to hit 100mph last night with wind speeds over the coming days expected to drop to 70mph.

A NOAA spokesman said: “Tammy remains over warm 29C to 30C sea-surface temperatures.

“That has not prevented gradual intensification of the hurricane thus far, and so

some additional intensification is forecast over the next day or so.”

Meteorologists have warned that yet another tropical disturbance off the east coast could develop into a tropical storm and ‘needs watching’.

A cyclonic weather system has spawned a gaggle of ‘organised’ thunderstorms in the Caribbean Sea, according to the NOAA.

The system–Invest 95-L– has a 50-per-cent chance of developing into a tropical storm over the next seven days.

Jim Dale, US weather correspondent and senior meteorologist for British Weather Services, said: “There is a disturbance to the south which needs to be watched in case it turns into something unusual.

“Norma should be held off by high pressure, although this also needs to be watched and comes as parts of Texas and Nevada could see outbreaks of thunderstorms this week.

“Instability, and unstable air ahead of Norma could spark these storms during the start of the week.”

Weather Channel writer Chris DeWeese added: “Norma and Tammy might sound like a kindly pair of bridge players, but they are actually a couple of tropical cyclones set to cause potential trouble on opposite sides of North America.”

The warnings come after a barrage of storms through the autumn have hit largely east coastal regions.

Torrential downpours have sparked flooding in Florida with further heavy rain forecast across the region until the end of October.

Weather models show bands of heavy, thundery rain swiping the eastern side of the US through the coming days.