Federal forecasters have placed the Texas Gulf Coast and parts of western Louisiana under a tropical storm warning as a strengthening weather system threatens to bring dangerous rain and flooding to the region.
The National Hurricane Center was tracking a tropical depression Monday afternoon centered approximately 120 miles south-southeast of Morgan City Louisiana and about 230 miles southeast of Port Arthur Texas. The system was producing maximum sustained winds of 35 mph and was expected to intensify into a named tropical storm by Monday night.
Landfall along the Texas coast is anticipated on Tuesday. Forecasters warned that the storm could bring significant rainfall totals to the greater Houston area ranging from 3 to 5 inches with isolated pockets receiving as much as 9 inches.
Flash flooding is a serious concern as rainfall rates could exceed 4 inches per hour in some locations. The Houston area and surrounding communities along the Gulf Coast from Galveston westward through Louisiana parishes are included in the warning zone.
Separately in the Pacific Ocean Tropical Storm Lowell was tracking toward Hawaii on Monday with sustained winds of 65 mph. The storm was located roughly 785 miles southeast of Hilo and was moving westward with forecasters warning it could rapidly intensify into a hurricane by Monday night or Tuesday before approaching the Hawaiian Islands later this week.
Also in the Pacific Hurricane Karina intensified into a powerful Category 4 storm Monday with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph. The storm was centered more than 1000 miles west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California and was not threatening any coastline though large waves were expected to impact parts of Mexico and possibly Southern California.
The remnants of Hurricane Dolly were also producing rain and thunderstorms across portions of Haiti the Dominican Republic the Turks and Caicos and the Bahamas as that system continued to weaken across the Caribbean.
Residents along the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast are urged to monitor updates from the National Hurricane Center and follow guidance from local emergency management officials as the storm approaches.
