Tropical Storm Edouard reaches Gulf Coast near Texas and Louisiana
Tropical Storm Edouard, which churned from the Gulf of Mexico and sloshed to the shore near the Texas-Louisiana border Tuesday with sustained winds up to 60 miles per hour and unleashing soaking downpours.
According to the National Hurricane Center, Edouard made its landfall in Louisiana's southwestmost corner at around 2:20 pm Central Time (1920 GMT) and then veered towards the west, bringing heavy rains and strong winds into southeastern Texas.
Forecasters predict that Edouard will weaken quickly as it moves further inland. It is predicted to become a tropical depression early Wednesday morning.
The hurricane center reported that the storm carried a significant amount of moisture from warm Gulf water. As much as nine inches of rain could fall along the inner path of the storm from the coast into east-central Texas.
Forecasters warned of the possibility that local flash floods could be caused by heavy rains.
According to utilities, the storm caused power outages in more than 4,000 homes or businesses located in southeast Texas.
People familiar with the regional energy plant operations said East Texas refineries had taken steps to secure their facilities ahead of the storm.
Shell released a statement saying that it was closely monitoring Tropical Storm Edouard. This came ahead of the storm's arrival. At this time, Shell does not anticipate any weather impact on production or drilling.
Edouard is the 5th named storm in 'the 2026 Atlantic Hurricane Season,' which officially began on June 1 and runs until November 30. However, none of them have reached hurricane-force.
(source: Reuters)
