A GOES-19 GeoColor satellite image provided by NOAA shows Tropical Storm Arthur along the Texas Gulf Coast, Wednesday, June 17, 2026. (NOAA via AP)
Tropical Storm Arthur, the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, weakened into a low pressure area Wednesday evening after moving along the upper Texas coast. However, forecasters warned that the remnants of the hurricane could bring days of heavy rain and potentially life-threatening flooding in parts of the southeastern United States.Hurricane Arthur is expected to continue to weaken as it moves inland across southeastern Texas and western Louisiana before spreading across the Southeast through Friday, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said. The storm’s maximum wind speed was near 35 mph (55 km/h).
Although coastal watches and warnings were discontinued Wednesday evening, authorities said flooding remained a significant threat throughout Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and the Florida Panhandle.“The main threat from Hurricane Arthur will be prolonged heavy rainfall for several days, which could lead to dangerous and potentially life-threatening flash flooding,” National Hurricane Center Director Michael Brennan said.
Forecasters said Arthur could drop between 5 and 10 inches of rain in affected areas, with up to 20 inches arriving in isolated areas. The storm could also generate dangerous waves and rip currents along the northwestern Gulf Coast, while tornadoes remain possible through Thursday.
Communities across the Gulf Coast spent the day preparing for flooding by clearing sewer systems, removing debris and distributing sandbags. In Louisiana and Mississippi, residents stocked up on supplies while emergency officials placed boats, barriers and other equipment in flood-prone areas.“We’ve had so much rain really hit our house that we thought it would be a good idea to pick up some bags,” said Luke Barwick, a resident of Covington, Louisiana, after collecting sandbags at a local distribution center.Parts of Mississippi were already dealing with the effects of heavy rainfall. Officials in Picayune declared a state of emergency after nearly seven inches of rain fell in six hours, flooding some areas. The city later distributed thousands of sandbags and put emergency crews on standby.The storm flew over coastal Texas on the same day that Houston hosted a World Cup soccer match between Portugal and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The match took place as scheduled inside an indoor stadium, despite the bad weather conditions outside.Authorities also linked heavy rainfall from the storm to a drowning near Houston. According to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, a 15-year-old boy died after entering a flooded detention pond near a construction site. Officials renewed warnings about the dangers posed by floodwaters.Arthur developed from a disorganized group of storms that persisted over the Gulf Coast for several days.
While the system weakened quickly after it was named, meteorologists stressed that rainfall, not wind, remained the main threat.Forecasters said the center of the storm was moving toward the northeastern coast of Texas, adding that the exact location of its arrival was less important because heavy rains had already spread across a wide area of the Gulf Coast and the southeastern United States.