Tropical Storm Authur has formed of the coast of Texas this morning. Tropical storm force winds are forecast along the Texas and Louisiana coast. Dangerous flooding may occur from the storm across Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. The Monroe area could see rainfall in the 1" to 2" range.
At 11 a.m. the storm was located 165 miles SWS of Lake Charles, Louisiana moving to the NE at 9 MPH. A Tropical Storm warning now extends from Sargeant, TX to Morgan City, LA.
On the forecast track, the low pressure area should move northeastward along the Texas coast today and then move inland over southwestern Louisiana by tonight. Surface observations indicate maximum sustained winds have increased to near 45 mph (75 km/h) with higher gusts. Weakening is anticipated once the low moves inland, and it could dissipate by tonight or early Thursday. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 175 miles (280 km) from the center. NOAA buoy 42035 east of Galveston recently reported a sustained wind of 45 mph (72 km/h) and a gust of 52 mph (83 km/h). The minimum central pressure based on surface observations is 999 mb (29.50 inches).
