Tropical storm Edouard approaching Texas, could become hurricane

Rain fell across parts of Texas and Louisiana on Tuesday as Tropical Storm Edouard moved toward the Gulf Coast, bringing the possibility of flooding as it was expected to strengthen significantly and possibly reach hurricane force, the National Hurricane Center warned.

Forecasters expected the storm to to make landfall in Texas later on Tuesday and then rapidly weaken. In the meantime, several storms were brewing in the Pacific Ocean, including Lowell, which reached hurricane strength Tuesday morning.

Edouard was about 30 miles southeast of the Texas coastal city of Port Arthur, near the Louisiana border and close to the area where it was expected to make landfall.

The hurricane center said Edouard was expected to dump 3 to 6 inches of rain along the Texas coast through east-central Texas, but some areas could see up to 9 inches. Southwestern Louisiana was expected to see lesser amounts.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the biggest problem expected from the storm is flooding.

Crews worked Monday to clear dry vegetation that could ignite from a lightning strike and cause fast-spreading fires, Abbott said.

A storm surge of 3 to 5 feet was possible along a stretch of coastline around the Texas-Louisiana border, the hurricane center said.