Tropical Storm Edouard Downgraded; Pacific Hurricanes Form

The former Tropical Storm Edouard weakened into a depression on Tuesday night, affecting parts of Texas with heavy rains and strong winds. Thousands lost power, trees fell, and roads flooded. The storm originally made landfall near the Texas-Louisiana border with winds of 60 mph (95 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center. Forecasters indicated the storm would decrease in strength as it moved inland, but heavy rains and potential flooding could persist into Wednesday.

Impact on Texas

Upon passing over Beaumont, Texas, about 80 miles northeast of Houston, city offices closed. The Texas Office of Emergency Management advised residents to stay indoors. Beaumont faced downed trees blocking roads, malfunctioning traffic lights, and flooded underpasses.

A storm damaged G.I. Surplus store in Beaumont, Texas.

Approximately 32,000 utility customers in Jefferson County, covering Beaumont, experienced power outages, based on reports from poweroutage.com.

Mike Gilbert, who owns a surf shop at Crystal Beach, took precautions by closing the shop, prioritizing employee safety. Fortunately, only gray skies and light rain were observed as Edouard passed 60 miles northeast of his location.

In Cameron, Louisiana, Connor Salvador, an RV park owner, noticed increasing winds and sporadic rain. While there was potential for minor flooding, he remained unconcerned, having dealt with such storms before.

Active Storms in the Pacific

In the Pacific, Hurricane Lowell is forecast to stay several hundred miles from Hawaii for the coming days. However, swells from Lowell could impact the islands starting Wednesday, leading to dangerous beach and marine conditions, stated Andrew Hagan from the National Hurricane Center.

Tropical Storm Marie formed on Tuesday in the Pacific, away from southwest Mexico. Expected to upgrade to a hurricane by Wednesday night, Marie’s swells are projected to affect southwestern Mexico and Baja California’s coast in the coming days.

Karina, another storm in the Pacific, peaked as a Category 4 hurricane after forming on Sunday. It strengthened on Monday but is anticipated to weaken, according to forecasters.