Rain fell across parts of Texas and Louisiana on Tuesday as Tropical Storm Edouard made landfall near the border between the two states, bringing the possibility of flooding, the National Hurricane Center warned.
The storm came ashore near Johnson Bayou, Louisiana, and was expected to rapidly weaken. It was centered about 15 miles (25 kilometers) south-southeast of Port Arthur, Texas, and had maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (95 kph). In the meantime, several storms were brewing in the Pacific Ocean, including Lowell, which reached hurricane strength Tuesday morning.
The hurricane center said Edouard was expected to dump 3 to 6 inches (8 to 15 centimeters) of rain along the Texas coast through east-central Texas, but some areas could see up to 9 inches (23 centimeters). Southwestern Louisiana was expected to see lesser amounts.
“That rainfall could produce some flash flooding and river flooding,” said Brad Reinhart, a senior hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center.
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.
In Cameron, Louisiana, the winds had picked up and rain was coming through on and off Tuesday morning, said Connor Salvador, who owns an RV park there near the coast. “Nothing too crazy yet,” he said.
He said while there could be a “little bit” of flooding if they get a lot of rain, he wasn't too worried about Edouard.
“We’re pretty used to all these types of storms that come through,” he said.
Several storms in the Pacific Ocean
Forecasters said newly formed Hurricane Lowell in the Pacific Ocean was expected to remain several hundred miles away from Hawaii for the next several days at least, but swells from the hurricane were likely to impact parts of the islands beginning Wednesday.
“This hurricane is likely to increase the surf and make for dangerous beach conditions and marine conditions for any boaters near the Hawaiian islands over the next few days,” said Andrew Hagan, a forecaster with the National Hurricane Center.
Tropical Storm Marie formed in the Pacific Ocean early Tuesday well offshore of southwest Mexico and wasn’t threatening land, the center said. The storm was about 400 miles (643 kilometers) southwest of Manzanillo with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (72 kph) and was moving northwest. Forecasters said Marie was gradually strengthening and was expected to become a hurricane by Wednesday night.
Elsewhere in the Pacific, Karina became a hurricane Sunday, fueled by warm waters far from any shore. It strengthened Monday into a powerful Category 4 storm but forecasters said Tuesday that it was expected to weaken. Forecasters said the storm centered 1,280 miles (2,059 kilometers) west-southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula of Mexico carried maximum sustained winds of 140 mph (222 kph) but wasn't threatening land.
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 center said.
The story has been updated to correct that Dolly was a tropical storm, not a hurricane. ___
Associated Press journalist Julie Walker in New York contributed to this report.
