Edouard Looks Better, But Still Fairly Weak

The 4pm advisory came out, and although Edouard has looked better organized, its winds are still only 45mph. It continues drifting slowly to the west at 6 mph.
This general westward trend will continue over the next 12 to 18 hours.

This is a look at the satellite and radar composite just after 4pm this afternoon. We have noticed showers and storms beginning to fill in on the north side of the circulation. When we see an increase in convection around the low pressure center, that often indicates that the system is strengthening. So while Edouard remains fairly weak at this point, I would not be surprised if our 10pm advisory this evening has it just a bit stronger.

Speaking of 10pm, make sure you check back as we will have another update and discussion on Edouard.

Edouard Maintaining Current Strength

With the 10am advisory this morning, Tropical Storm Edouard has not changed much in its overall strength. However, current satellite imagery shows that the system has been getting better organized as showers and storms have been on the increase. This increase in convection around the center of circulation indicates that the storm may be trying to get its act together and could be strengthening as we speak.

With each advisory comes a new forecast track as computer models initialize the current data. From the image to your left, you can see the forecast track remains fairly unchanged from where it was last night.

In terms of watches/warnings/advisories, we have a Hurricane Watch that stretches from Port O'Connor, Texas, all the way eastward into Intracoastal, Louisiana. We also have Tropical Storm Warnings in effect for several coastal counties as well.

The next complete advisory to come down on Edouard will be at 4pm this afternoon. I will have another update for you at that time as new information comes in. Feel free to check back in for updates throughout the day.

Eduoard Morning Update

Eduoard did not strengthen overnight as shear has taken a toll on the storm. Shear is strong winds in the upper levels of the atmosphere that can rip a hurricane apart. It is a key factor in the development of tropical systems. The shear should relax through the day, and Eduoard will begin to become better organized. The storm has picked up some speed, moving west at 8 mph. Current forecast calls for a landfall on the upper Texas coast as early as Tuesday morning. There is a small chance of Edouard becoming a hurricane before landfall. If you think back to last year, Humberto did that. The impacts here in East Texas will be rain and some winds, especially south around Livingston and Woodville. More updates to come through the day

Strong Storms Blow Through, Leave Damage in its Wake

A complex of showers and storms rolled through East Texas this afternoon, producing wind gusts on the order of 50 to 60 mph, along with small hail, and lots of dangerous cloud-to-ground lightning strikes.
These storms originated in Louisiana and moved in a westerly direction, a little bit unusual, considering most of our storm systems track from west to east, not the other way around. As this disturbance tapped into temperatures well over 100 degrees, there was plenty of fuel and heat energy to allow these storms to strengthen and become severe. The ridge of hot, high pressure which was firmly in control of our weather, shifted off to the northeast just slightly today. While it may not seem like a big deal, it was enough of a difference to allow those disturbances to our east to roll in and not weaken. With the severe weather rolling through, we had numerous power outages, most noteable in the Diboll and Huntington communities.

This graphic to the left pinpoints all of the severe weather reports that have been confirmed as of 7:45 this evening. Each blue dot represents a report of wind damage. Notice the blue dot in Angelina county, just east of the Lufkin text. That was the storm that blew through the Zavalla, Huntington, and Diboll areas that knocked out power. We also had several more wind damage reports scattered across the East Texas viewing area this afternoon.

If you have any reports of severe weather, we'd love to hear from you. Let us know what's going on in your neighborhood by emailing us at weather@ktre.com, or calling our weather line at 936-853-2909.

Tropical Storm Edouard

The area in the Gulf of Mexico has now become Tropical Storm Edouard. Hurricane Hunters are finding the pressure dropping this evening as the storm begins to get itself organize. It is moving very slowly to the west at only 4 mph. Tropical Storm warnings are in effect for the Louisiana coast and tropical storm watches are in effect for the middle and upper Texas coasts. As long as Edouard can stay over ocean water and far enough from land, the storm could strengthen into a hurricane as early as Monday. Projected landfall right now is near Galveston, taking the storm just south of us here in East Texas. We will be close enough though to see winds up to 35 mph in our southern counties around Livingston and Woodville. We could see heavy rain. Also, tornadoes will be a threat in the outer rain bands. Stay with KTRE as we continue tracking the storm. Feel free to leave your comments and questions below.

Severe Thunderstorm Watch in Effect until 8pm

A broad trough of low pressure sitting over the north central Gulf has triggered a few strongs storms across Louisiana and portions of East Texas this afternoon.


As a result, the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, has placed portions of East Texas under a Severe Thunderstorm Watch until 8pm this Sunday evening. This watch includes the counties highlighted in yellow for the image to your left. Counties under the watch include: Houston, Trinity, Polk, San Jacinto, Angelina, San Augustine, Sabine, Tyler, Jasper, and Newton counties.



This watch means conditions are favorable for a few strong to severe storms to pop up this afternoon across the Piney Woods.



As of 2:30 this afternoon, we have a batch of storms extending from Corrigan down towards Livingston, moving in a westerly direction at 15 to 20 mph. That means areas in and around Lake Livingston and Onalaska will be affected within the top of the hour, providing the storms hold together.

We will also be on the lookout to see if any additional storms pop this afternoon.

Otherwise, outside the few isolated storms, it will simply remain dry and very hot as we will be topping out over 100 degrees once again this afternoon.

Next Tropical System?

It is August now and this is when hurricane season begins to pick up. We have already seen Dolly strike the lower Texas coast and we may have another storm to deal with. The Hurricane Center is watching three areas for possible development. In the Gulf of Mexico, the area circled with the number one is what we are tracking. It is an upper low that has broken off from a cold front. Computer models are predicting this feature to take on a surface circulation and become a tropical system as early as Sunday. Then it will head westward towards Texas, effecting parts of the coast by Tuesday. The forecast is highly uncertain and our extended forecast depends on what this feature does. Right now, it is something to keep in the back of your mind as we watch it through Sunday. If it does develop, then the entire Texas coast will need to be on the look out. Stay with KTRE as we continue tracking the tropics!