Tropical Storm Edouard is strengthening as it approaches the Upper Texas Coast, with forecasters warning the system could be near hurricane strength before making landfall later Tuesday, Sept. 1.
As of 7 a.m. Tuesday, the center of Edouard was about 70 miles east-southeast of Port Arthur and moving west-northwest at 8 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. Maximum sustained winds were 40 mph with higher gusts.
The National Hurricane Center said significant strengthening is forecast before Edouard reaches the northwestern Gulf Coast later Tuesday. The storm is then expected to move inland across Southeast Texas Tuesday night and weaken rapidly.
While coastal communities face the greatest threat from storm surge and the strongest winds, Liberty County and other inland areas of Southeast Texas could see significant impacts from heavy rainfall, flash flooding, gusty winds and isolated tornadoes.
Edouard is expected to produce widespread rainfall totals of 3 to 6 inches from the Upper Texas Coast inland through east-central Texas. Isolated locations could receive as much as 9 inches.
The National Hurricane Center warns the rainfall is likely to cause flash flooding, particularly in low-lying and urban areas. River flooding also is possible.
For Liberty County, residents should be particularly cautious around flood-prone roads, creeks and drainage areas as bands of heavy rain move inland. Conditions can deteriorate quickly during tropical systems, particularly when intense rainfall repeatedly moves across the same area.
There also is a risk of isolated tornadoes across Southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana Tuesday afternoon and evening.
Along the coast, a Storm Surge Warning is in effect from High Island to the Vermilion-Cameron Parish line in Louisiana, where 3 to 5 feet of storm surge is possible. A Hurricane Watch remains in effect from High Island to Cameron, Louisiana, while a Tropical Storm Warning extends from Port Bolivar to the Vermilion-Iberia Parish line.
Tropical storm conditions are expected along portions of the coast Tuesday morning, with hurricane conditions possible within the Hurricane Watch area later in the day.
Edouard remains a relatively small tropical cyclone, with tropical-storm-force winds extending about 25 miles from its center. However, its rainfall impacts will extend well beyond the storm’s small wind field.
Residents across Liberty County should continue monitoring forecasts and alerts throughout the day as Edouard approaches the coast. Those living in low-lying or flood-prone areas should be prepared for rapidly changing conditions and should never attempt to drive through flooded roadways.
The National Hurricane Center’s forecast is expected to continue changing as Air Force Hurricane Hunters collect additional information from the storm Tuesday morning.