TAMPA, Fla. - The first named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season has weakened after making landfall along the upper Texas coast, but its remnants continue to pose a significant flooding threat across portions of the southeastern United States.
Arthur makes Texas coast landfall
What we know:
According to the National Hurricane Center's early Thursday morning update, Post-Tropical Cyclone Arthur was centered about 30 miles north-northeast of Galveston, Texas, and moving northeast at approximately 8 mph.
Arthur's maximum sustained winds have decreased to approximately 35 mph, with gusts in the 46-mph range, and its minimum central pressure was estimated at 1000 mb.
FOX 13 meteorologist Dave Osterberg says the storm didn't last too long because it was being completely sheared apart.
The system is expected to accelerate northeastward before turning east-northeast through Friday. The remnants are forecast to move across southeastern Texas and western Louisiana before tracking across the southeastern United States.
Severe flash flooding threat
Why you should care:
Although Arthur is no longer a tropical storm, the system continues to bring widespread heavy rainfall.
The National Hurricane Center forecasts rainfall totals of 5 to 10 inches, with isolated amounts approaching 20 inches, from the Texas coast eastward into portions of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, western Georgia and the Florida Panhandle through early Friday.
Forecasters warn the heavy rainfall could trigger dangerous and potentially life-threatening flash flooding across parts of the region.
Scattered thunderstorms remain concentrated east of the storm's center, while seas near the Gulf Coast remain elevated at around 11 feet.
High rip current risk for Florida Gulf beaches
Local perspective:
While the Bay Area is not expected to experience direct impacts from Arthur's remnants, beachgoers along Florida's Gulf Coast should be aware of hazardous surf conditions.
The National Weather Service in Ruskin has issued a high rip current risk from 8 a.m. Thursday through Friday morning for:
- Pinellas County
- Coastal Hillsborough County
- Coastal Manatee County
- Coastal Sarasota County
- Coastal Charlotte County
- Coastal Lee County
The NWS warns that dangerous rip currents can quickly pull even experienced swimmers away from shore and into deeper water.
Beach safety reminders
What you can do:
Officials recommend:
- Swimming near a lifeguard whenever possible.
- If caught in a rip current, remain calm and float.
- Do not swim directly against the current.
- Swim parallel to the shoreline until free of the current, then head back to shore.
- Wave and call for help if unable to escape.
Moisture trajectory
What's next:
Arthur is expected to continue weakening as it moves farther inland, but its moisture will spread across portions of the Deep South through Friday.
FOX 13 will continue monitoring rip current conditions along Florida's Gulf Coast as swells generated by the former tropical cyclone affect area beaches through at least Friday morning.
What we don't know:
The NWS has not yet confirmed the exact timeline for when Arthur's low-pressure center will completely dissipate as it interacts with inland terrain.
The Source: Information for this story was gathered from FOX 13 meteorologists, the National Weather Service and National Hurricane Center.