Tropical Storm Edouard forms near Texas, Louisiana as another storm heads toward Hawaii
Texas Governor Greg Abbott says flooding is expected to be the storm’s main threat.
Tropical Storm Edouard formed in the Gulf of Mexico on Monday (31 August) and was expected to strengthen before bringing heavy rain and possible flooding to parts of Texas and Louisiana.
The system was upgraded from a tropical depression Monday night, and forecasters at the National Hurricane Center said it was expected to make landfall in Texas on Tuesday.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said flooding was expected to be the storm's main threat. Forecasters predicted 3-6 inches of rain across the greater Houston area, while some parts of the state's upper coast could receive as much as 9 inches.
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More than 4 inches of rain could fall in an hour in some areas, potentially triggering flash floods, particularly in low-lying and urban locations, the National Hurricane Center said.
"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 at a news conference.
Edouard was centred on Monday evening about 202 kilometres southeast of Cameron, Louisiana, and 249km southeast of Port Arthur, Texas. It had maximum sustained winds of 65kph.
Abbott said crews were also working to remove dry vegetation that could catch fire if struck by lightning and allow flames to spread rapidly.
Meanwhile, the remnants of Hurricane Dolly brought rain and thunderstorms to parts of Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Turks and Caicos, and the Bahamas, according to the hurricane centre.
Storm Lowell heads toward Hawaii
In the Pacific Ocean, Tropical Storm Lowell was located about 1,110km southeast of Hilo, Hawaii, and was moving westward with maximum sustained winds of 110kph.
Forecasters warned that Lowell could strengthen rapidly and reach major hurricane status by Wednesday.
Elsewhere in the Pacific, Hurricane Karina intensified Monday into a powerful Category 4 storm but posed no immediate threat to land, forecasters said.
Karina rapidly strengthened after becoming a hurricane Sunday, fuelled by unusually warm ocean waters far from land.
The storm was centred more than 1,770km west-southwest of the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California peninsula and was moving westward with maximum sustained winds of 215kph, the National Hurricane Center said.
