Hurricane Harvey hits Texas hard, while a second disturbance might be felt in Beaufort County

After making landfall as a category four hurricane Friday night, Harvey has weakened to a Category 1 storm. The danger it poses is far from over, though, the National Hurricane Center reports.

The storm is incredibly slow, currently moving north-northwest at around 6 mph. This keeps the same areas consistently exposed to heavy rains and sustained high winds, which currently sit at 80 mph with occasional gusts up to 120 mph. When Harvey made landfall as a Category 4 storm Friday night, it carried sustained winds of 130 mph.

“The big thing that people along the Texas Gulf coast are going to be worried about right now is transitioning from a strong wind and storm surge threat to a heavy rainfall threat,” said Carl Barnes, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Charleston. “The storm is really not going to be moving much through the middle part of the week. The center of the circulation is going to be meandering around the Texas central coast area at least through Wednesday night.”

More than 16 inches of rain have already fallen near Victoria, Texas, while other places along the coast have recorded between 11 and 12 inches according to the National Weather Service.

Harvey is expected to produce up to 40 inches of rain in isolated areas and between 15 and 30 inches on average. Storm surge could still reach 12 feet in some areas. The combination of these factors is expected to pose a continued risk for devastating flooding.

A hurricane warning is still in effect from Baffin Bay to Port O’Connor, Texas, while a tropical storm warning is in place from north of Port O’Connor to High Island, Texas. A storm surge warning is set from Baffin Bay to High Island.

Massive structural damage has been reported in Rockport, Port Aransas and Aransas Pass in Texas, and several areas throughout the state are expected to be uninhabitable for weeks or even months according to reports from CNN.

Wilma was the last major hurricane to hit the U.S., making landfall in October of 2005. The last major hurricane to strike the coast of Texas was Hurricane Bret in August of 1999.

Meanwhile, a second disturbance continues making its way northeast over the Florida peninsula. The NHC gives it a 30 percent chance of developing into a tropical cyclone over the next two days and a 50 percent chance over the next five as it enters the western Atlantic.

Regardless of its development, it will still bring heavy rain to Florida, and could even kick some moisture in our direction. More than likely, though, its effects will be felt in the form of choppier surf, increased riptide risk and higher winds off the coast.

This story was originally published August 26, 2017 at 9:54 AM with the headline "Hurricane Harvey hits Texas hard, while a second disturbance might be felt in Beaufort County."