Tropical Storm Edouard is expected to intensify into a hurricane before making landfall along the northwestern Gulf Coast on Tuesday. The National Hurricane Center has issued hurricane and tropical storm watches for coastal areas of Texas and Louisiana near the border.
Sea surface temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico are running 2 to 4 degrees above average, providing ample fuel for Edouard's strengthening. Landfall is anticipated around 1 p.m. CT (2 p.m. ET) Tuesday, with the storm's center likely to cross near the Louisiana-Texas state line.
Edouard is forecast to drop between 3 and 6 inches of rain across affected areas, with isolated totals potentially reaching up to 9 inches in inland regions of the Upper Texas Coast, extending into east-central Texas. Southwest Louisiana could receive 2 to 4 inches of rain. The heaviest rainfall is expected in rural areas between Houston and Beaumont. These rainfall amounts raise concerns for flash flooding, particularly in low-lying and urban areas, and a possibility of river flooding.
Near the storm's center at landfall, winds of 70 mph or greater are possible. The storm is expected to weaken rapidly after moving inland. A storm surge of 3 to 5 feet is predicted from High Island, Texas, to the Vermilion-Cameron Parish line in Louisiana. Additionally, there is a risk of isolated tornadoes developing Tuesday afternoon and evening over parts of southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana.