First storm of the season could form this week and drench Gulf coast
The National Hurricane Center is tracking a system that could develop into a tropical depression or storm in the next few days, taking aim at the Texas and Louisiana coast.
The system, labeled potential tropical cyclone one for now, could strengthen into the first named storm of the season — Tropical Storm Arthur — as soon as Wednesday morning.
While wind speeds are expected to stay relatively low, forecasters warn that the storm could drench the Gulf coast with up to a foot of rain from Texas to the far western reaches of the Florida Panhandle.
“Regardless of whether the system becomes a tropical cyclone, heavy rainfall and life-threatening flash flooding will be the primary hazards with this system,” forecasters wrote in the 11 a.m. discussion.
The northwestern Gulf Coast from Sargent, Texas to Morgan City, Louisiana remains under a tropical storm watch, which means tropical storm conditions could be possible within the next day or so. Parts of the Texas and Louisiana Coast could also see two to four feet of storm surge.
The hurricane center also warned that a tornado or two could occur anywhere along that coastal region ahead of the storm’s arrival, including the far western Florida Panhandle.
This storm is expected to exit the Texas coast sometime late Tuesday and hover just offshore for most of Wednesday, picking up steam and strength and forming a tropical depression and then a tropical storm.
A Hurricane Hunter plane is scheduled to check out the storm on Wednesday.
This story was originally published June 16, 2026 at 1:46 PM.
