AUSTIN, Texas — Gov. Greg Abbott will hold a briefing and press conference in Austin on Monday to discuss the state’s preparations for tropical weather forecasters say could make landfall in Southeast Texas as early as Tuesday.
The governor will meet with state emergency management and public safety officials for a briefing at 4 p.m., followed by a press conference at 5 p.m.
The event comes as the National Hurricane Center tracks a Gulf system with a 70% chance of organizing into Tropical Storm Edouard sometime Monday, according to CBS Austin meteorologist Avery Tomasco. If it forms, the storm would likely make landfall between Beaumont and Galveston by late Tuesday morning or early afternoon.
The event comes as the National Hurricane Center tracks a Gulf system with a 70% chance of organizing into Tropical Storm Edouard sometime Monday, according to CBS Austin meteorologists. (CBS Austin)
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Because the system will have only about 24 hours to organize, Tomasco says it’s unlikely to rapidly strengthen into a hurricane, limiting wind and storm surge risks. Heavy rain and flash flooding remain the top concern.
The storm’s exact path remains uncertain until a defined center of circulation forms, though models largely agree it would track northwest near the Interstate 45 corridor toward Huntsville and eventually the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
In Central Texas, outer rain bands could reach areas along and east of I-35 starting Tuesday afternoon, with a 30% chance of gusty winds and brief heavy rain, followed by a similar pattern Wednesday.
Total rainfall is expected to stay below an inch in most areas, though Tomasco warned a narrow corridor of heavier rain and flash flooding is likely in East and Southeast Texas and could shift into Central Texas’ eastern counties if the storm’s track changes.