The National Hurricane Center in America is this morning warning of the possibility of flooding across Texas and Louisiana, as Tropical Storm Edouard moves toward the Gulf Coast.

This is with the expectation of strengthening significantly and possibly reaching hurricane force. Forecasters expected the storm to make landfall in Texas later today and then rapidly weaken.  

This morning, Edouard was about 30 miles (48 kilometres) south of Cameron, Louisiana, and 50 miles (80 kilometres) southeast of Port Arthur, Texas, with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (80 kph) while moving northwest at 8 mph (13 kph).

The hurricane centre said Edouard was expected to dump 3 to 6 inches (8 to 15 centimetres) of rain along the Texas coast through east-central Texas, but some areas could see up to 9 inches (23 centimetres). Southwestern Louisiana was expected to see lesser amounts.

Possible flash flooding

Flash flooding was likely in low-lying and urban areas, the hurricane centre said. Texas Governor 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 yesterday to clear dry vegetation that could ignite from a lightning strike and cause fast-spreading fires, Abbott said. 

A storm surge of 3 to 5 feet (1 to 1.5 meters) was possible along a stretch of coastline around the Texas-Louisiana border, the hurricane centre said. In the meantime, several storms were brewing in the Pacific Ocean, including Lowell, which reached hurricane strength this morning.

 Meanwhile, the remnants of Tropical Storm Dolly brought rain and thunderstorms to parts of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, Turks & Caicos Islands, and the Bahamas, the hurricane centre is reporting.

Several storms in the Pacific Ocean

Newly formed Hurricane Lowell in the Pacific Ocean was centred about 575 miles (925 kilometres) southeast of Hilo, Hawaii, this morning. The storm’s maximum sustained winds had increased to 80 mph (130 kph). Forecasters said swells from Lowell were likely to impact parts of Hawaii beginning tomorrow.

Tropical Storm Marie formed in the Pacific Ocean early this morning well offshore of southwest Mexico and wasn’t threatening land, the centre said. The storm was about 400 miles (643 kilometres) 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 tomorrow night.

Elsewhere in the Pacific, Karina became a hurricane Sunday, fueled by warm waters far from any shore. It strengthened yesterday into a powerful Category 4 storm, but forecasters said Tuesday that it was expected to weaken. 

Forecasters said the storm was centred 1,280 miles (2,059 kilometres) 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.