Extreme Weather Storm System

A cluster of storms along the Gulf Coast of Texas could become the first tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. The National Hurricane Center in Miami says the storm system is expected to bring intense rain to southern states including Texas and Louisiana this week. An advisory issued Tuesday morning said the center of the storms is about 55 miles south-southwest of Corpus Christi, Texas. Maximum sustained winds were 30 mph, just shy of the 39 mph needed to be named a tropical storm. The storms could cause problems even if the system never gets a name. Heavy downpours could lead to life-threatening flash flooding.

Tropical Storm Arthur has weakened to a low pressure area along the upper Texas coast. The National Hurricane Center announced that the storm had degenerated Wednesday night. It was the first of the Atlantic season and threatened the southern United States with dangerous flash flooding. Days of heavy rain have been drenching southern Texas. Authorities near Houston said a teenager appears to have drowned in a retention pond Tuesday following a period of heavy rain earlier in the week.