Tropical Storm Gabrielle (1995)

A tropical wave emerged into the Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Africa during the last week of July. As it tracked across the Atlantic, it remained a well-defined system, but never organized into a tropical cyclone. On August 8, the system entered the Gulf of Mexico, and by the following day, it developed a weak low-level circulation. The circulation became better defined later that day, and was confirmed by Reconnaissance aircraft that afternoon, when it was declared Tropical Depression Eight while east of Tamaulipas. From the outset, the cyclone's motion was altered by Hurricane Flossie off the Pacific coast of Mexico. Initially, deep convection fired up gradually as the depression slowly tracked westward in the Gulf of Mexico. At 1200 UTC on August 10, the depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Gabrielle, as the storm curved southward. Gabrielle then strengthened slowly over the warm sea surface temperatures in a low wind shear environment, although land interaction slowed the intensification somewhat. The storm shifted once again onto a west-northwest course on August 11, moving very slowly towards the coast. The storm made landfall at 2000 UTC on August 11, just south of La Pesca in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, about south of the United States-Mexico border and about north of Tampico. Simultaneously, Gabrielle attained its peak intensity with a maximum sustained wind speed of and a minimum barometric pressure of . After landfall, the storm rapidly weakened, deteriorating to tropical depression status by early on August 12 over northeast Mexico. Six hours later, the surface circulation of Gabrielle dissipated over the mountains of the Sierra Madre Oriental, although its cloud pattern transited Mexico intact, moving into the Gulf of California before it sheared across northwest Mexico on August 15. ==Preparations and impact==

Starting at 2100 UTC on August 9, a tropical storm warning was issued from Baffin Bay, Texas to La Pesca, Tamaulipas while Gabrielle was still Tropical Depression Eight. By 0900 UTC on the following day, the warning was expanded to include areas south to Tampico, Tamaulipas and extended further to Tuxpan, Veracruz twelve hours later. As the latter was occurring, the tropical storm warning was discontinued for Texas. Early on August 12, all the warnings in Mexico were discontinued, as the storm had already moved inland. Overall damage was generally minor. There were no reports of wind damage, although tropical storm-force winds affected the northern coast of Tamaulipas. A newspaper in Mexico reported up to of precipitation across much of Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon; Rains from Gabrielle flooded streets and destroyed bridges and highways in northern Mexico. while many other areas in southern Texas reported only of precipitation. Brownsville reported up to of rain in association with Gabrielle. ==See also==