Tropical Storm Arthur, the primary named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, shaped simply off the coast of Texas Wednesday morning. It’s been fueling a lethal flood threat throughout the Gulf Coast that may proceed into the South by means of Friday.
Arthur’s heart is now inland about 55 miles northeast of Port O’Connor, Texas, as of two p.m. ET, in line with the National Hurricane Center. It’s forecast to trace farther inland throughout excessive southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana by means of tonight.
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Heavy rainfall supercharged by tropical moisture has already left its mark even earlier than Arthur shaped — at the least two folks have died in floodwater in Texas to this point this week.
Parts of jap Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi have picked up greater than a month’s price of rain in simply three days, with some carrying out this in a number of hours due to such heavy rainfall charges.
A tropical storm warning is in impact from Sargent, Texas, to Morgan City, Louisiana, since winds of 40 mph or stronger are anticipated alongside that stretch of coast on Wednesday.
Minor to reasonable coastal flooding from storm surge can also be doable alongside the higher Texas and Louisiana coasts on Wednesday.
Flood watches for the system’s heavy rain have been issued for greater than 18 million folks alongside the northern Gulf Coast to as far east as elements of Georgia. Lake Charles and New Orleans, Louisiana; Biloxi, Mississippi; Mobile, Alabama; and Pensacola, Florida, are among the many cities that would see vital to life-threatening flash floods.
Those cities face a Level 3 out of 4 threat of flooding rain on one or a number of days from Wednesday to Friday, in line with the Weather Prediction Center. Rainfall charges of three to 4 inches per hour are doable at instances in a few of these areas.
Arthur is anticipated to supply 5 to 10 inches of rain by means of early Friday from the higher Texas coast east by means of central and southern elements of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, the western Florida Panhandle and western Georgia, the hurricane heart says. A couple of spots may see as much as 20 inches of rain.
Some areas from southern and jap Texas to southern Louisiana and southern Mississippi have seen over 6 inches of rain to this point. The highest complete as of Tuesday evening was just over 9 inches near Caldwell, Texas.
Texas, Louisiana and southern Mississippi have already been swamped by flooding from this method’s moisture colliding with a stalled entrance. There have been practically 150 stories of flooding throughout these areas since Sunday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 101 counties and activated extra state emergency response resources on Monday.
In Bandera County, northwest of San Antonio, a lady was killed after her car was swept right into a flooded creek early Monday morning. The lady known as 911 and mentioned she was “floating downstream at a high rate of speed and unable to exit her vehicle,” the sheriff’s workplace said in an announcement. Authorities launched swift water rescue groups after dropping contact with the girl. Her car was discovered “several miles downstream” and “completely submerged,” the sheriff mentioned.
Street flooding in Montgomery County, a part of the higher Houston metro space, led to a number of stranded autos and at the least 10 avenue closures on Tuesday, in line with Montgomery County Sheriff spokesperson Miranda Hahs.
On Tuesday night, a 15-year-old boy was discovered useless in Magnolia in Montgomery County, after he entered a flooded retention pond whereas enjoying with a bunch of youngsters close to a building roadway, the sheriff’s workplace mentioned in an announcement to NCS.
“After an extensive search, the juvenile was located underwater using sonar technology … this incident serves as a solemn reminder of the dangers associated with floodwaters,” the sheriff’s workplace mentioned, expressing its “deepest condolences to the family.”
Drivers stranded in floodwater have required rescue or help in Travis, Bexar and Williamson counties since Monday, in line with native authorities. About 80 low water crossings in Travis County had been flooded Monday morning, county Judge Andy Brown informed NCS.
Homes, buildings and roads flooded in Picayune, Mississippi, the place an estimated 8 to 9 inches of rain fell over six hours on Tuesday.
Fire crews rescued a household, together with an toddler, from a house with knee-deep water, Picayune Fire Department Chief Joshua Abercrombie informed NCS, noting floodwater was waist-deep on the street exterior the house. Some drivers additionally received caught within the flooding within the metropolis, however there have been no reported accidents.
“This just dumped a tremendous amount of rain,” Abercrombie mentioned. “We’re not used to flooding in the areas we got it in.”
In neighboring Forrest County, responders rescued a driver from the highest of a submerged car, county Director of Emergency Management Glen Moore informed NCS. The driver misplaced management of the car and ended up in a flooded ditch, however was capable of climb onto the roof earlier than it turned fully submerged.
In Shreveport, Louisiana, floodwater stranded drivers and entered a couple of business buildings and at the least one constructing at a technical school on Monday, Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Deputy John Lane informed NCS. The sheriff’s workplace acquired 52 calls for water rescues in a roughly six-hour interval, however Lane didn’t know what number of of these calls in the end required a rescue. No accidents had been reported, he mentioned.
In Waco, Texas, multiple vehicles were stranded in floodwater on elements of Interstate 35 on Sunday evening, forcing rescues, in line with the Texas Department of Transportation. Photos posted by the town on Monday present roadways washed away by the storms.
“I have not seen flooding like that in Waco before,” Texas Game Warden Capt. Matthew Kiel informed NCS Monday, noting many low water crossings in rural elements of the county had been flooded and wardens had accomplished a handful of water rescues throughout central Texas.
Here’s the place the largest flooding considerations are anticipated within the subsequent few days:
• Wednesday to Wednesday evening: Rainfall on the higher Texas coast has diminished. Flooding threat will improve from Louisiana east to the western Florida Panhandle in a single day into early Thursday morning.
• Thursday to Thursday evening: Heavy rain will possible be ongoing very first thing within the morning over jap Louisiana and elements of Mississippi and Alabama. This batch of storms will unfold as far east as Georgia and the western Florida Panhandle by afternoon and night.
• Friday to Friday evening: The chilly entrance may trigger at the least remoted flash flooding in a lot of the South, however essentially the most vital threat is in southern Alabama and close by elements of southern Mississippi and the western Florida Panhandle.
Correction:
A earlier model of this story misstated the extent of the tropical storm watch. It extends by means of Morgan City, Louisiana.