This NOAA satellite image taken Sunday, Aug. 3, 2008 at 02:15 PM EDT shows an area of clouds in the northern Gulf of Mexico associated with a tropical disturbance that has some chance of further development over the next few days. (AP PHOTO/WEATHER UNDERGROUND)
Tropical Storm Edouard forms off Louisiana coast
Sunday, August 3, 2008 7:06 PM EDT
The Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Tropical Storm Edouard formed in the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday, and forecasters expected it to bring high winds and several inches of rain to the coasts of western Louisiana and eastern Texas.
Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center made Edouard, packing 45-mph winds, the fifth tropical storm of the 2008 hurricane season. They expected the storm to strengthen and said it could reach hurricane strength by the time it made landfall in Texas sometime Tuesday.
A tropical storm watch was in effect from the mouth of the Mississippi River to Intercoastal City, La. That meant tropical storm conditions were expected in the next 24 hours. The warning area did not include New Orleans.
At 4 p.m. CDT, Edouard was located about 90 miles southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River and about 400 miles east of Galveston, Texas, and moving west about 6 mph.
While southwestern Texas still recovers from the damage of last month's Hurricane Dolly, the other end of the state's coast braced for several inches of rain and a potential storm surge.
Krista Piferrer, a spokeswoman for Texas Gov. Rick Perry, said Sunday that state emergency management officials were monitoring the storm and getting updates through conference calls with the National Weather Service.
"Because it might make an impact to the Texas shore, we're looking at activating resources, including search and rescue and maybe military forces," including the Texas National Guard, Piferrer said.
State emergency management officials were also conducting conference calls with officials from communities along the Texas coast, from Port O'Connor to Port Arthur, that could be affected by Edouard.
Rainfall of 1 to 2 inches was expected in coastal Louisiana. About 2 to 4 inches was possible in southeast Texas, with isolated amounts up to 6 inches. Tides of 2 to 4 feet above normal levels were expected in parts of the warning area.
