Texas mobilizes flood response ahead of expected tropical storm

Texas is mobilizing emergency response crews in anticipation of expected flash flooding from a tropical storm that forecasters predicted would hit the southeast part of the state on Tuesday.

Federal forecasters expected the tropical depression in the Gulf of Mexico to become Tropical Storm Edouard, bringing heavy rain and flash flooding potential to the eastern Houston region.

The current National Weather Service forecast says the storm will likely drop 3 to 6 inches of rain in areas along and east of Interstate 45, with highest rain chances starting in the late morning and extending through Tuesday evening. Some spots could receive 6 to 9 inches of rain and some could see rainfall rates of 3 to 4 inches an hour, forecasters said.

“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.”

Tropical storm warnings were in effect along the coast from Bolivar Peninsula east to Louisiana, with expected sustained winds of 20 to 30 miles per hour inland and gusts of up to 45 mph. Winds were expected to pick up around mid- to late morning Tuesday. A storm surge of 2 to 4 feet was also possible.

Abbott said winds could be 60 mph at landfall.

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 planned 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 the incoming tropical storm’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.

The Gulf storm 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.

“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.