Tropical Storm Arthur was downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone after reaching Texas and Louisiana on Wednesday, but local weather still brought damaging winds, torrential rainfall, and storm surge. The National Hurricane Center said in its 11 p.m. update that Post-Tropical Cyclone Arthur was still holding sustained winds of 35 mph overnight.
The center of Arthur re-formed just 10 miles northwest of Galveston, Texas, with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph at that point. Officials expected some areas to see up to 10 inches of rain, and tropical storm watches and warnings were issued as the storm reached parts of both states.
Galveston and the Texas coast
Arthur reached maximum sustained winds of 45 mph and produced up to 3 feet of storm surge along the Texas coastline. In Waco, Texas, torrential downpours caused hazardous conditions, and Interstate 35 was flowing like a river amid life-threatening flash flooding.
The storm was the first named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season after it strengthened from Potential Tropical Cyclone One. It spent limited time over water and encountered moderate wind shear, which limited strengthening.
Flood threat through Thursday morning
A Level 3 out of 4 flood threat was in effect through Thursday morning. The area under the greatest risk included Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and Morgan City, where forecasters warned of widespread and locally catastrophic flooding.
All tropical storm watches and warnings were discontinued after the downgrade, but forecasters said Post-Tropical Cyclone Arthur could still bring damaging winds and a life-threatening flash flood threat to the Gulf Coast through the end of the week.
