The storm was upgraded Monday night from a tropical depression and forecasters with the National Hurricane Center expect it will make landfall in Texas on Tuesday.
Early Tuesday the storm was about 85 miles southeast of Cameron, Louisiana, and 115 miles southeast of Port Arthur, Texas, with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph while moving west-northwest at 7 mph.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the biggest problem expected from the storm is flooding. Forecasters are anticipating 3-6 inches of rain in the greater Houston area, with some areas of the state's upper coast getting up to 9 inches. More than 4 inches per hour could fall and will likely cause flash flooding in low-lying and urban areas, according to the National Hurricane Center.
“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 during a news conference.
Crews worked Monday to clear dry vegetation that could ignite from a lightning strike and cause fast-spreading fires, Abbott said.
