Tropical Storm Arthur, the first Atlantic tropical cyclone of the year, forms off Texas’ Gulf Coast

Tropical Storm Arthur formed Wednesday off the Gulf Coast of Texas, becoming the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season.

The storm developed near the middle of the Texas coast, less than 50 miles from Port O’Connor, according to the National Hurricane Center. About an hour later, Arthur was moving along the Texas coast toward Lake Charles, Louisiana, the center said. 

It was traveling northeastward with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph, a marginal uptick from its initial strength of 40 mph — which just cleared the threshold to be considered a tropical storm. Arthur’s winds remained far below the speed necessary for a storm to be classified as a hurricane. 

Forecasts predicted Arthur’s strength would not change much as it continued to make its way toward land, the Hurricane Center said. But the storm is expected to speed up while its center moves either along or over coastal Texas at some point on Wednesday. After continuing on its track into southern Louisiana, Arthur is expected to turn inland before weakening, and, eventually, dissipating late Wednesday or early Thursday.

Regardless of Arthur’s progression, the National Hurricane Center warned the storm would continue to bring heavy rain and flooding to a vast stretch of the southeastern United States, from Houston to Atlanta. In an advisory, forecasters said the storm was “expected to cause life-threatening flooding” and powerful winds in parts of the region.

Tropical storm warnings were in place from Sargent, Texas, to Morgan City, Louisiana, meaning tropical storm conditions were expected in those areas within 12 hours. Meteorologists expanded the warning area to include Sargent, which was originally placed under a less-urgent tropical storm watch, shortly after Arthur developed.

Arthur started developing earlier this week, as a tropical disturbance in the western Gulf of Mexico. It emerged and strengthened as coastal communities in the path of the storm contended with ongoing bouts of intense rain, which triggered dangerous flash flooding in multiple states.

Arthur will likely dump 5 to 10 inches of rain on sections of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, along with western portions of the Florida Panhandle. They also warned that storm surge could reach 4 feet above normal levels in coastal areas that normally stay dry, depending on the timing of high tide. 

“The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to the east of the landfall location, where the surge will be accompanied by large and dangerous waves,” the National Hurricane Center said. 

The storm was also expected to produce “life-threatening surf and rip current conditions along the northwestern Gulf Coast for the next couple of days,” it added. Some tornadoes may be possible, too.

Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30, although tropical storm and hurricane activity usually peaks between August and October. Forecasters predicted this season will bring fewer storms than an average year, with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s latest outlook calling for eight to 14 named storms, of which three to five might grow into hurricanes.