Storm Arthur was expected to move inland over Texas, near the Louisiana border, by Wednesday evening, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. Maximum sustained winds were around 45 mph (75 kph). Arthur is expected to produce five to 10 inches (127 to 254 mm) of rainfall. Isolated higher totals near 20 inches are expected through early Friday from the mid and upper Texas coast east-northeast into southern and central portions of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, along with western portions of Georgia and the Florida Panhandle, the Miami-based NHC said.
New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno said police were preparing boats and setting up barricades in known flood areas. Collection points for residents to fill sandbags also sprung up around the state. Swells generated by Arthur are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip-current conditions along the northwestern Gulf Coast for the next couple of days, forecasters said. Tornadoes were possible through Thursday.
Flooding, Heavy Rainfall Expected
Officials urged millions of people along the Gulf Coast to take the storm seriously amid warnings that the storm could dump dangerous amounts of rain in some areas. In Louisiana and Mississippi, some communities set up locations for residents to collect sandbags and cleared debris from drainage systems. Flooding was likely through Friday over parts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and the Florida Panhandle, the hurricane center said.
"Very heavy rainfall is expected to fall across southeast Louisiana into southern Mississippi, where there can be significant and even life-threatening flooding, before spreading northeastward through the Carolinas and Georgia," said AccuWeather hurricane expert Alex DaSilva.
Significant rain is expected to last through Friday across the Southeast, and the zone of greatest risk will shift from far eastern Texas and Louisiana to Georgia by Friday, according to AccuWeather.
2026 Atlantic Hurricane Season Kicks Off
The storm — the first named system of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season — was located about 20 miles (35 km) north-northwest of Matagorda, Texas, on Wednesday afternoon, producing maximum sustained winds of 45 miles per hour (75 km/h). A tropical storm warning is in effect from Sargent, Texas, to Morgan City, Louisiana, an important energy corridor that includes major refineries and liquefied natural gas processing facilities around Port Arthur and Lake Charles. The storm could dissipate by Wednesday night or early Thursday, the NHC said.
Storm Arthur Threat for Crude Oil
A model from consulting firm Earth Science Associates based on past storms is forecasting that around 20,000 barrels of oil could be lost because of shut-ins at offshore platforms in the storm's path.
The Gulf Coast refining region that runs from Corpus Christi to Pascagoula, Mississippi, holds around half of U.S. refining capacity of 18.4 million barrels per day. The largest U.S. refinery is the Saudi Aramco-owned Motiva Enterprises' Port Arthur, Texas, plant, which has throughput of 730,000 bpd, according to the company. Other major Gulf Coast refineries in the potential path of the storm include Exxon Mobil's facility in Beaumont, Texas. LNG companies, including Cheniere and Venture Global , also have major liquefaction facilities along the coastal region.
Motiva Enterprises and Venture Global did not immediately respond to requests for comment about storm preparations. Cheniere and Exxon said they were monitoring conditions that have so far had no impact on operations.
