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Tropical Storm Edouard is strengthening this Tuesday as it approaches the coasts of Texas and Louisiana, in the northwest Gulf of Mexico, where it could reach an intensity close to that of a hurricane before making landfall later, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported.
At 8:00 a.m. US Eastern Time (12:00 GMT), Edouard, which formed this Monday and is the fifth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, was located about 65 kilometers (40 miles) southeast of Cameron, Louisiana, and 110 kilometers (70 miles) east-southeast of Port Arthur, Texas.
At that time, the cyclone had maximum sustained winds of 65 km/h (40 mph) and was moving west-northwest at 13 km/h (8 mph).
The main areas at risk extend from High Island, Texas, to Cameron, Louisiana, where a hurricane watch is in effect, while a tropical storm warning is in effect from Port Bolivar, Texas, to the boundary line between the towns of Vermilion and Iberia, Louisiana.
The NHC, based in Miami, also issued a storm surge warning from High Island to the line between Vermilion and Cameron, where water could rise between 90 centimeters and 1.5 meters (3 and 5 feet) above ground level; between that line and Morgan City, the rise could be 30 to 90 centimeters (1 to 3 feet).
The NHC warned that tropical storm conditions could reach the coast during the morning and that hurricane conditions are possible in the area under surveillance during the afternoon.
Edouard is expected to make landfall on the northwestern Gulf coast later this Tuesday and move over southeastern Texas overnight. The storm could also bring between 7.6 and 15.2 centimeters (3 and 6 inches) of rain, with maximums of up to 22.9 centimeters (9 inches), to parts of the upper Texas coast and the east-central part of the state, while southwestern Louisiana could receive between 5.1 and 10.2 centimeters (2 and 4 inches).
These rains could cause flash flooding, especially in low-lying and urban areas, in addition to potential river overflowing.
Edouard is the fifth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season after Arthur, Bertha, Cristobal, and Dolly.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) lowered its forecast for the Atlantic season on August 6, estimating a maximum of 13 storms, below the historical average, but expects up to 22 in the eastern Pacific, above average, due to the strengthening of the El Niño climate phenomenon.
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