Tropical Storm Fernand (2019)

Upon the initiation of advisories on Potential Tropical Cyclone Seven early on September 3, the Government of Mexico issued a tropical storm warning for La Pesca northward to Barra El Mezquital in northeastern Mexico.[9] The warning was extended northward to the mouth of the Rio Grande river and southward to Barra del Tordo at 18:00 UTC with the designation of Tropical Storm Fernand.[10] In preparation for the storm, the Mexican government activated Plan DN-III-E, sending 4,000 troops to the northeastern states to assist in disaster relief.

Fernand produced torrential rainfall across much of northeastern Mexico, including the states of Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas and San Luis Potosí. In some parts of Nuevo León, six months-worth of rain fell within just six hours, causing rivers and streams to overflow their banks as floodwaters inundated roads, briges, homes and, buildings. Schools and public transportation lines across the state were closed on September 5, and over 400 schools sustained damages as a result of effects from the storm.[11] In the municipality of García, a Venezuelan man died after he was swept away by floodwaters while trying to clean a sewer; two others who were with him at the time were rescued.[12] In Monterrey, a taxi driver was forced to abandon his vehicle after it sank in rapidly-rising floodwaters. A man in Monterrey who was carried away by floodwaters along the Santa Catarina river was rescued by Civil Protection workers, and sustained no major injuries, while another man and his dog who attempted to drive through floodwaters in La Huasteca also required rescue after being caught in the strong current of the floodwaters.[13] On September 7, Governor of Nuevo León Jaime Rodríguez Calderón declared a state of emergency for Nuevo León, further announcing that he would request funding and resources from the National Disaster Fund to aid in repairs and relief efforts.[14] Initial damage in Nuevo León was estimated to be MX$7.5 billion (US$383 million). Two months later, the National Civil Protection found that the damage in Nuevo León was just MX$222 million (US$11.3 million), much less than the initial estimation.[15]

Although the center of Fernand remained over northeastern Mexico, the storm's outer rainbands brought much-needed rainfall to portions of drought-stricken South Texas. Rainfall totals of 1.2 in (30.48 mm) or more were reported in several locations in the state, peaking at 3.7 in (93.98 mm) in Port Isabel.[16] Cameron County public beach access No. 5 and 6, as well as Boca Chica Beach were temporarily closed on September 3 due to high tides and the risk of rip currents produced by the storm. Scattered storms were seen across the Corpus Christi area in the outer bands.[17] [18]