It rains. It pours. Tides get higher. Turtles get stuck!

Spring storms hit parts of Texas. About 100 young turtles become stranded along part of the Texas Gulf Coast.

Jesse Gilbert is the Chief Operating Officer of the Texas State Aquarium in Corpus Christi, Texas. He says the juvenile green sea turtles “just couldn't beat the waves.” They were tossed around along the shore. The turtles were caught in water pushed up against the dunes on Padre Island National Seashore.

Wildlife officials helped gather and transport the green sea turtles to the aquarium. The largest turtle was about the size of a dinner plate. Mr. Gilbert says the turtles looked exhausted. They needed water.

During normal spring weather, the wildlife center may have about a half-dozen young turtles wash ashore each month. Starting this May, more than 100 green sea turtles were rescued during two weeks!

And now it’s time for the turtles to go home. About 80 of the rested turtles were released into the Gulf of Mexico last Thursday. Most of the rest should be returned to the water this week.

What should you do if you spot a stuck turtle like these? Mr. Gilbert says you should call wildlife officials. Laws protect the endangered turtles. Mr. Gilbert warns: Don’t pick them up!

A sea turtle swims at the Texas State Aquarium Wildlife Rescue Center in Corpus Christi, Texas, on May 24. (Texas State Aquarium via AP)