Tropical Storm Arthur hits Texas coast, causing flooding; tornadoes threaten Midwest, weakens to low pressure system
Tropical Storm Arthur, the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, weakened to a low-pressure area Wednesday night after moving along the upper Texas coast. However, forecasters warned that the aftermath could bring days of heavy rain to parts of the southeastern United States and potentially life-threatening flooding.this National Hurricane Center Arthur is expected to continue to weaken as it moves inland through southeastern Texas and western Louisiana before spreading across the Southeast on Friday, the NAHMS in Miami said. The storm’s maximum sustained winds were near 35 mph (55 km/h).Although coastal watches and warnings were discontinued Wednesday night, authorities said flooding remained a significant threat in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and the Florida Panhandle.“The primary threat from Arthur will be a multi-day, heavy rainfall event that could result in dangerous, potentially life-threatening flash flooding,” said Michael Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Center.Forecasters said Arthur could bring 5 to 10 inches of rain to affected areas, with up to 20 inches in isolated areas. The storm could also produce dangerous surf and rip currents along the northwest Gulf Coast, while tornadoes remain a possibility through Thursday.Communities along the Gulf Coast spent the day cleaning drainage systems, removing debris and distributing sandbags to prepare for flooding. In Louisiana and Mississippi, emergency officials positioned boats, barricades and other equipment in flood-prone areas, and residents stocked up on supplies.“We’ve had a lot of rain at our house, so we thought it would be a good idea to pick up a few sandbags,” Covington, Louisiana, resident Luke Barwick said after collecting sandbags at a local distribution center.Parts of Mississippi are already dealing with the effects of heavy rainfall. Picayune officials declared a state of emergency after nearly seven inches of rain fell in six hours, flooding some areas. The city then distributed thousands of sandbags and had emergency personnel on standby.On the same day that Houston hosted a FIFA World Cup match between Portugal and the Democratic Republic of Congo, storms swirled over the Texas coast. Despite poor weather conditions outside, the game went ahead as scheduled inside the covered stadium.Authorities also linked the storm’s heavy rainfall to a drowning near Houston. A 15-year-old boy died after entering a flooded retention pond near a construction site, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. Officials again warned of the dangers posed by flooding.Arthur developed from a chaotic group of storms that lingered along the Gulf Coast for days. While the system weakened quickly after being named, meteorologists stressed that rain, not wind, remained the main threat.The center of the storm was moving northeast from the Texas coast, forecasters said, adding that its exact landfall location was less important because heavy rains had already spread across swaths of the Gulf Coast and southeastern United States.
