Tropical Storm Arthur brought texas weather a new flood threat Wednesday after forming near the Gulf coast and moving toward Texas with intense rain. The National Hurricane Center said flash flood warnings were already being issued in the Houston metro area as the storm approached.
Michael Brennan, the center’s director, said during a briefing: “The main threat from Arthur is going to be a prolonged, multiday, heavy rainfall event that could produce dangerous to life-threatening flash flooding.”
Houston Metro Area
Arthur’s center was about 55 miles east-northeast of Port O'Connor, Texas, on Wednesday morning and was moving northeast near 9 mph. It had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph, with little change in strength expected before the center moved over land.
The storm was forecast to weaken after landfall and could dissipate by Wednesday night or early Thursday. That same track left Texas exposed to life-threatening flash flooding and urban flooding, with the heaviest rain expected to fall before Arthur faded inland.
Texas Rain Totals
Forecasters said Arthur could produce 5-10 inches of rain, with isolated totals near 20 inches. The National Hurricane Center said flooding was likely through Friday over parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and the Florida panhandle.
The combination of storm surge and tide was also expected to flood normally dry coastal areas, with rising water moving inland from the shoreline. Swells from Arthur were likely to bring life-threatening surf and rip current conditions along the north-western Gulf coast for the next couple of days.
Arthur Through Thursday
Tornadoes were possible through Thursday, adding another risk for coastal and inland areas already under heavy rain. On Tuesday evening, authorities said a teenager appeared to have drowned in a flooded retention pond outside Houston, a day before Arthur formed.
For people in the Houston area and along the Texas coast, the practical step is to treat the flood warning as immediate and plan around water on roads, low crossings, and coastal zones until the storm weakens or moves away.
