Tropical Storm Edouard formed on Monday in the Gulf of Mexico and is expected to strengthen before bringing heavy rains and flooding to parts of Texas and Louisiana. The storm was upgraded from a tropical depression on Monday night, and forecasters with the National Hurricane Center expect it to make landfall in Texas on Tuesday.
As of early Tuesday, the storm was located approximately 85 miles southeast of Cameron, Louisiana, and 115 miles southeast of Port Arthur, Texas, with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph, moving west-northwest at 7 mph. Texas Governor Greg Abbott indicated that flooding is the primary concern associated with the storm.
Forecasters predict that the greater Houston area could receive 3 to 6 inches of rain, while some regions along the upper coast of Texas may see up to 9 inches. Rainfall rates could exceed 4 inches per hour, leading to flash flooding in low-lying and urban areas, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Orlando Alanis of the Texas Division of Emergency Management stated during a news conference, "This is our first big storm of the season, and I’ll tell you, Texas is prepared." Crews were deployed on Monday to clear dry vegetation that could ignite from a lightning strike and potentially cause fast-spreading fires, as noted by Abbott.
In addition, the remnants of Hurricane Dolly brought rain and thunderstorms to parts of Haiti, the Dominican Republic, the Turks & Caicos, and the Bahamas, according to the hurricane center.
In the Pacific Ocean, Tropical Storm Lowell was reported to be about 690 miles southeast of Hilo, Hawaii, with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph, moving west at 10 mph. Forecasters indicated that Lowell could rapidly intensify into a major hurricane by Wednesday.
Furthermore, Hurricane Karina, which became a hurricane on Sunday, strengthened into a Category 4 storm on Monday, remaining far from any land. As of Monday evening, Karina was centered 1,135 miles west-southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula of Mexico, with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph, moving west-northwest at 9 mph.