... And away we go.
An area of low pressure the National Hurricane Center had been following for nearly a week, first over the Bay of Campeche and then over Mexico and south Texas finally popped over the Gulf and developed enough convection Wednesday morning to be called Tropical Storm Arthur by the NHC.
Storm watches and warnings are in effect from Sargent, Texas to Morgan City, Louisiana. Top winds are just 40 mph, enough to be a named storm, but the most serious effects are expected to be rains of 5 to 10 inches, with isolated higher totals near 20 inches, through early Friday from the Mid and Upper Texas coast east-northeast into southern and central portions of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.
"Given the unrelenting westerly shear and Arthur's close proximity to land, it seems unlikely that much additional strengthening will occur. The tropical-storm-force winds are confined to the eastern semicircle and mainly occurring over the offshore waters," NHC Hurricane Specialist Brad Reinhart said in the 11 a.m. storm discussion. "Heavy rainfall and life-threatening flash flooding remain the primary hazard with this system."
Meanwhile for us in Osceola County, afternoon showers and thunderstorms — you remember that pattern, right? — are expected into the weekend, rain that cool things from expected highs in the 92-96 range. Welcome to summer, pack your sunblock and your umbrella.
