Tropical Storm Arthur has been named 40 miles ENE of Port O’Connor, Texas, becoming the first named storm of the 2026 Atlantic Hurricane Season.
At 40 mph and 1,001 mbar, this is a weak and heavily sheared system with a completely exposed low-level center. Despite this, the convection being generated on the storm’s eastern side is robust, and coldly waterlogged.
The primary flood threat now shifts away from Texas, focusing instead on Louisiana, southern Mississippi, and Alabama, after Arthur makes landfall later today. Rather than Houston, the city of New Orleans is likely the new major population center that could be affected by flooding rainfall.