A tropical wave that has been moving slowly across the Northern Gulf of Mexico has finally garnered enough strength to be named. Tropical Storm Imelda is hugging the Texas coastline between Galveston and Corpus Christi. The storm has a minimum central pressure of 1009 mb and is producing winds up to 40 mph sustained and gusts as high as 50 mph.
The storm is moving slowly northward and will enter East Texas through the day today. Afterwards the storms will slowly lose strength and should reach post-tropical status as it moves inland towards Dallas.
The biggest threat to residents in East Texas will be rainfall. Steady and heavy rain for the next three to 5 days will result in flash flood conditions stretching from the coastline, Louisiana state line, and up into portions of Arkansas and Oklahoma. As much as 15 inches of widespread rain and locally higher amounts are possible further inland, resulting in life-threatening flood scenarios.
