Tropical Storm Arthur – the first named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season – is currently skipping the Gulf Coast of Texas and is expected to make landfall along the southwest coast of Louisiana this evening.bringing with it a huge shield of tropical moisture that forecasters call more dangerous than the wind.
Arthur is officially formed
The National Hurricane Center confirmed Arthur on Wednesday morning as a so-called tropical storm, with maximum sustained winds of 40 miles per hour. Recently, a wind gust of 48 mph was recorded in Galveston.
Arthur’s center will move northeast along the Texas coast before turning inland over southwestern Louisiana this evening, making landfall near Lake Charles around sunset before rapidly weakening inland.
Tropical Storm Warnings are in effect from High Island, Texas to Morgan City, Louisiana. Affected coastal communities include Cameron, Creole, Grand Chenier, Johnson Bayou, Holly Beach, Hackberry, Abbeville, Intracoastal City, Avery Island, Nederland, Port Arthur and Sabine Pass.
Floods are the main threat
Wind is not Arthur’s greatest danger. Floods do. Arthur will likely dump 2 to 4 inches of rain on parts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, along with western parts of the Florida Panhandle, according to CBS News. Into the worst case scenario NOLA.com’s forecast analysis estimates totals in the neighborhood of 6 to 8 inches near Baton Rouge, Acadiana and the North Coast — numbers that would cause catastrophic flooding.
The NHC has issued Flood Watches for all coastal Louisiana parishes under the Tropical Storm Warning, with forecasters indicating that flooding from heavy rainfall “could lead to many evacuations and rescues” and that rivers and tributaries could quickly overflow their banks in several places.
Storm surge: 2 to 4 feet in coastal areas
Storm surge of 2 to 1.2 meters above ground level is possible along the immediate coastline in East and West Cameron, Lower Vermilion, Lower Jefferson (Texas) and Lower St. Mary Parishes. The NHC described “life-threatening surf and rip conditions along the northwest Gulf Coast” and warned that the deepest water will occur east of the landfall site. South-westerly winds of 30 to 35 knots and seas of 2.5 to 3.5 meters are forecast offshore today – sailors should remain in port until this evening.
Tornadoes also possible
The NHC and NWS Lake Charles have both noticed this the situation is somewhat favorable for tornadoes over the warning area – especially in the outer rainbands that produce spin-up tornadoes prior to tropical storm landfall. Anyone in Arthur’s path should be ready to seek tornado shelter on short notice.
If you are in an evacuation zone and have received an order, leave now. Follow the latest news from the National Hurricane Center. Arthur is the first named storm of the 2026 Atlantic season, which runs through November 30.
