Tropical Storm Edouard nears Texas with heavy rain and flood threats

By Emily Foxhall, The Texas Tribune
August 31, 2026

Tropical Storm Edouard was expected to bring heavy rain and possible flash flooding to Texas as forecasters watched for any last-minute strengthening before the storm’s predicted landfall Tuesday afternoon near the Texas-Louisiana border.

The National Hurricane Center said the storm could continue strengthening as it approached over warm waters. Tropical storm warnings were in effect along coastal areas from Bolivar Peninsula east to Louisiana, with expected sustained winds of 20 to 30 miles per hour inland and gusts of up to 40 mph.

Winds were expected to pick up as the morning progressed Tuesday, and hurricane-level gusts were still possible especially east of High Island. A storm surge of 3 to 5 feet was also possible from High Island to the east.

The latest data showed the storm’s maximum sustained winds were near 50 mph with stronger gusts. Forecasters predicted the storm would weaken rapidly as it moved inland.

Rainfall remained a top concern. The current National Weather Service forecast says the storm could drop two to five inches of rain as it moves inland in a northwest direction, with the highest potential rainfall falling over a swath stretching from the Bolivar area, through the eastern Houston region to Huntsville.

Some isolated spots could receive 6 to 9 inches of rain; some could see rainfall rates of 3 to 4 inches an hour, forecasters said. The National Hurricane Center said the rain is likely to produce flash flooding, especially in low-lying and urban areas, and river flooding is possible.

“Where those heavier rainfall totals occur, flash flooding will be possible, especially over areas of poor drainage,” Jimmy Fowler, warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service Houston/Galveston office, said in a webinar on Monday.

The Harris County area, which includes much of Houston, could get the most intense rainfall, Gov. Greg Abbott said at a news conference Monday. Abbott cautioned people to prepare and stay vigilant, including after dark on Tuesday night.

Local rain totals could be as high as 10 to 15 inches, Abbott said.

“We have seen too often vehicles being swept away,” Abbott said. “It is so incredibly important for anybody in any region of the state, but especially in Harris County, to avoid driving into what appears to be waters on the roadway.”

The state had already deployed rescue aircraft, boats and high water vehicles and the state’s emergency operations center was activated, along with 1,500 state personnel, Abbott said.

 

Some Houston-area school districts had announced closures Tuesday due to potential flooding, including Channelview, Galena Park and Humble.

 

The storm is approaching the Texas coast less than two months after days of heavy rains hit the southwest portion of the state, from San Antonio west to the U.S.-Mexico border, causing widespread flooding in places such as Uvalde, Crystal City, Kerrville, which suffered massive flash flooding in July 2025 that left at least 119 people in the surrounding county dead.

Major federal funds have still not been approved to help people and local governments rebuild from this year’s flooding.

Officials were also watching the potential for Edouard’s’s winds to ignite fires. Amid hot, dry conditions, the state has battled major fires this month, including the Ross Fire, which had burned more than 90,000 acres as of Monday and was already one of the largest wildfires recorded in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Edouard didn’t start to show potential Texas impacts until Sunday morning, giving the state less time than usual to prepare, said Orlando Alanis, assistant agency director for the Texas Division of Emergency Management. Typically, the state has five to seven days of lead time to get ready for hurricanes, he said.

Federal forecasters elevated it from a tropical depression to a tropical storm Monday evening.

“This is our first big storm of the season,” Alanis said. “And I’ll tell you, Texas is prepared.”

Megan Menchaca contributed to this story.

This article first appeared on The Texas Tribune.