Tropical storm Arthur formed on Wednesday as a disorganized cluster of storms came together off the Texas coast. The National Hurricane Center said the first Atlantic cyclone of the season would be short-lived, but flash flood warnings were already being issued in the Houston metro area.
Michael Brennan, the center’s director, said the storm’s main threat was rain, not wind. “The main threat from Arthur is going to be a prolonged, multiday, heavy rainfall event that could produce dangerous to life threatening flash flooding,” he said during a briefing.
Houston And The Texas Coast
Arthur had maximum sustained winds of around 75 kph, and little change in strength was forecast before it was expected to dissipate by Wednesday night or early Thursday. A tropical storm warning remained in effect for a roughly 560-kilometre stretch along the coast of Texas and Louisiana.
Dan Brown, the National Hurricane Center’s operations chief, said the storm had already been pushing weather into the region. “A lot of the winds have already been occurring along portions of the coast of Texas and Louisiana,” he said. “And there’s also been a lot a heavy rainfall that’s kind of preceded both the development of the storm and centre of the storm.”
New Orleans Preparations
New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno urged residents on Wednesday afternoon to prepare for the storm. “We are asking the people of New Orleans to really do what the city government has done, and that is to just be prepared, stay weather alert, and we’ll see what comes our way,” she said. “But whatever comes our way, we’ll be ready to deal with it.”
Police in New Orleans were preparing boats and setting up barricades in known flood areas, while city workers were setting up locations for residents to collect sandbags. Flooding was likely through Friday over parts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and the Florida Panhandle, with rainfall totals of 13 to 25 centimetres and isolated areas near 50 centimetres.
Flood Risk Through Friday
Arthur formed after heavy rains earlier in the week had already affected the Gulf Coast. Authorities had said Tuesday evening that a teenager appeared to have drowned in a flooded retention pond outside Houston after the earlier rain, adding to the urgency around Wednesday’s warnings.
For residents in the warning zone, the immediate concern is the rain band already on the move and the multi-day forecast through Friday. The practical step now is to stay alert to local warnings and use the sandbag and flood-preparation measures already being set up in New Orleans and the Houston area.
