A tropical storm could be hours away from forming near Texas

The National Hurricane Center has increased the odds that a tropical system will form along the Texas coast this week, raising concerns that parts of Southeast Texas could soon face both a tropical storm threat and significant flash flooding.

The NHC reported Tuesday that there is a 60 percent chance of a cyclone forming along the coast of East Texas across the next 48 hours as of Tuesday morning. Even if the cyclone doesn’t fully form, forecasters expect “periods of intense rainfall” on Tuesday and Wednesday, which could produce widespread flash flooding across Corpus Christi, Galveston and farther inland into Houston. 

“This has a chance to get over the water and become a brief tropical storm before contributing to VERY HEAVY RAINFALL from the Texas coast into LA, MS, AL and GA (regardless of status) over the next few days,” The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore posted on X early Tuesday morning. “Getting this thing tangled up with an old front should produce double-digit rain totals in spots.”

Heavy rainfall is expected to begin on the Texas coast on Tuesday, with the most significant rainfall totals expected south of I-10 in Texas in Corpus Christi and the surrounding area. The potential tropical storm could hit the area on Wednesday or Thursday, and rainfall could reach “6-10″ through early Wednesday,” per Jeff Linder, the lead meteorologist for Harris County. Linder predicts areas south of I-10 in East Texas could receive up to 10″ of rain through Wednesday, which could lead to “rapid onset flash flooding.” Areas north of I-10 will likely see 1-3″ of rain through Tuesday. 

Heavy rainfall across Houston on Monday led to flooding across the Bayou City, as well as the cancellation of Monday’s FIFA Fan Festival in EaDo. The Fan Festival will be impacted once again by the wet weather on Tuesday. The Fan Festival is slated to be open from only 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Tuesday, and Fan Festival organizers noted Monday night the hours of operation “remain subject to change if the weather conditions are unfavorable to a safe environment for attendees.”