Tropical Storm Edouard brings heavy rain, flash flood threat to Texas

TAMPA, Fla. - Tropical Storm Edouard is continuing to dump heavy rain across Texas Wednesday morning after making landfall as a tropical storm, creating a threat for flash flooding across parts of the state.

Tropical Storm Edouard Texas flooding threat

What we know:

Although Edouard's winds are no longer a major concern after the storm moved inland, FOX 13 Meteorologist Dave Osterberg says torrential rainfall remains the primary threat.

Parts of eastern Texas could receive 4 to 8 inches of rain, with isolated totals reaching 12 inches along portions of the upper Texas coast and inland areas.

The rainfall could lead to flash flooding, particularly in low-lying and urban areas.

Because Edouard is a relatively small system, rain could repeatedly move over the same areas as the storm's circulation lingers.

That could quickly create flooding problems even though the storm itself is small.

Storm winds weaken inland

The backstory:

Edouard made landfall as a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of about 60 mph.

The storm's winds have weakened significantly since moving inland and are no longer expected to be the primary threat.

Instead, forecasters are focused on the amount of rain Edouard continues to produce across eastern Texas.

Atlantic hurricane season lull

Dig deeper:

There are currently no other tropical systems on the horizon that pose an immediate concern.

The Atlantic Basin also remains notably quiet for this point in hurricane season.

There have been no hurricanes in the Atlantic Basin so far this season, with the peak of hurricane season approaching Sept. 10.

"Knock on wood of course," Osterberg said.

He noted that the lack of hurricanes this late in the season is unusual, while cautioning that tropical activity can change quickly as the season progresses.

TampaWeather