MIAMI — Tropical Storm Edouard was expected to strengthen significantly and possibly reach hurricane force Tuesday as it moved toward the Gulf Coast, where heavy rains and flooding were possible in parts of Texas and Louisiana, the National Hurricane Center warned.
The storm was upgraded Monday night from a tropical depression and forecasters expected it to make landfall in Texas later on Tuesday. After making landfall, the storm is expected to rapidly weaken.
Tuesday morning, the storm was about 40 miles (64 kilometres) south-southeast of Cameron, Louisiana, and 70 miles (113 kilometres) east-southeast of Port Arthur, Texas, with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 km/h) while moving west-northwest at 8 mph (13 km/h).
Tropical storm warnings, hurricane watches, storm surge warnings and flood watches were issued for the western Gulf Coast. The hurricane centre said Edouard was expected to dump 3 to 6 inches (8 to 15 centimetres) of rain along the Texas coast through east-central Texas, but some areas could see up to 9 inches (23 centimetres). Southwestern Louisiana was expected to see lesser amounts.
Flash flooding was likely in low-lying and urban areas, the hurricane centre said.
Storm heads toward Texas and Louisiana
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the biggest problem expected from the storm is flooding.
“This is our first big storm of the season, and I’ll tell you, Texas is prepared,” Orlando Alanis of the Texas Division of Emergency Management said during a news conference.
Crews worked Monday to clear dry vegetation that could ignite from a lightning strike and cause fast-spreading fires, Abbott said.
A storm surge of 3 to 5 feet (1 to 1.5 metres) was possible along a stretch of coastline around the Texas-Louisiana border, the hurricane centre said.
Meanwhile, the remnants of Tropical Storm Dolly brought rain and thunderstorms to parts of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, the Turks & Caicos, and the Bahamas, the hurricane centre said.
Several storms have been forming
In the Pacific Ocean, Lowell reached hurricane strength Tuesday morning. It was centred about 575 miles (925 kilometres) southeast of Hilo, Hawaii, and was moving west-northwest at 12 mph (19 km/h). The storm’s maximum sustained winds had increased to 80 mph ((130 km/h). Forecasters said Lowell could rapidly intensify and become a major hurricane by Wednesday night.
Also in the Pacific, Tropical Storm Marie formed early Tuesday well offshore of southwest Mexico and wasn’t threatening land, the centre said. The storm was about 470 miles (756 kilometres) southwest of Manzanillo with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (72 km/h) and was moving northwest. Marie was expected to become a hurricane in the coming days.
Elsewhere in the Pacific, Karina became a hurricane Sunday, fueled by warm waters far from any shore, and strengthened Monday into a powerful Category 4 storm. But it did not threaten land, forecasters said. On Tuesday morning, Karina remained a Category 4 hurricane and was centred 1,210 miles (1,950 kilometres) west-southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula of Mexico with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph (222 km/h) while moving west-northwest at 10 mph (17 km/h), the hurricane centre said.
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By Jamie Stengle, The Associated Press
Correction
This Associated Press story has been updated to correct that Dolly was a tropical storm, not a hurricane.
