Tropical Storm Arthur — the first named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season — is currently scraping the Texas Gulf Coast and is expected to make landfall along the southwest Louisiana coastline tonight, bringing with it a massive shield of tropical moisture that forecasters are calling more dangerous than the wind.
Arthur Has Officially Formed
The National Hurricane Center confirmed Arthur as a named tropical storm Wednesday morning, with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph. A 48 mph wind gust was recently recorded at Galveston.
Arthur’s center is tracking northeast along the upper Texas coast before an expected turn inland over southwestern Louisiana tonight, making landfall near Lake Charles around sunset before quickly weakening inland.
Tropical Storm Warnings are in effect from High Island, Texas through 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.
Flooding Is the Primary Threat
Wind is not the main danger from Arthur. Flooding is. Arthur will likely dump 5 to 10 inches of rain on sections of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, along with western portions of the Florida Panhandle, according to CBS News. The worst-case scenario in NOLA.com’s forecast analysis puts totals near 15 to 20 inches near Baton Rouge, Acadiana and the northshore — numbers that would cause catastrophic flooding.
The NHC has issued Flood Watches across all coastal Louisiana parishes under Tropical Storm Warning, with forecasters flagging that major rainfall flooding “may prompt many evacuations and rescues” and that rivers and tributaries may rapidly overflow their banks in multiple places.
Storm Surge: 2 to 4 Feet in Coastal Areas
Along the immediate coastline, storm surge of 2 to 4 feet above ground is possible in East and West Cameron parishes, Lower Vermilion, Lower Jefferson (Texas) and Lower St. Mary Parish. The NHC described “lifethreatening surf and rip current conditions along the northwestern Gulf Coast” and warned that the deepest water will occur east of the landfall location. Offshore, southwest winds of 30 to 35 knots and seas of 8 to 11 feet are forecast today — mariners should remain in port through tonight.
Tornadoes Also Possible
The NHC and NWS Lake Charles both flagged that the situation is somewhat favorable for tornadoes across the warning area — particularly in outer rain bands that produce spin-up tornadoes ahead of tropical storm landfall. Anyone in Arthur’s path should be ready to take tornado shelter on short notice.
If you are in an evacuation zone and have received an order, leave now. Monitor the latest from the National Hurricane Center. Arthur is the first named storm of the 2026 Atlantic season, which runs through November 30.
