By STACY LIBERATORE, US SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR
Published: 13:18 BST, 31 August 2026 | Updated: 21:32 BST, 31 August 2026
Tropical storm warnings have been issued across parts of the US coast as a newly formed Gulf system closes in on the coast ahead of landfall Tuesday.
Tropical Depression Five developed over the northern Gulf of America on Monday, giving communities along the Texas and Louisiana coasts barely a day to prepare for deteriorating conditions.
The system was about 120 miles south-southeast of Morgan City, Louisiana, and 230 miles southeast of Port Arthur, Texas at 1pm CDT, with maximum sustained winds of 35mph.
It was creeping west-northwest at 5mph and is forecast to strengthen into Tropical Storm Edouard as early as Monday night before reaching the northwestern Gulf Coast Tuesday.
The National Hurricane Center's (NHC) official forecast keeps the compact system below hurricane strength, but Meteorologist Dylan Federico said on X that 'a hurricane can't be ruled out.'
'Residents there should be preparing for tropical storm force winds, heavy rain, and coastal flooding,' he added. 'This is a tiny storm so impacts will only be felt close to the center.'
The tropical storm warning stretches from Port Bolivar, Texas, to the Vermilion-Cameron Parish line in southwestern Louisiana.
Tropical Depression Five developed over the northern Gulf of America on Monday, giving communities in its projected path barely a day to prepare for deteriorating conditions
The NHC warned that tropical storm conditions are expected to reach the coast Tuesday, making any outdoor preparations 'difficult or dangerous.'
The warning means sustained winds of at least 39 mph are expected somewhere within the designated area during the next 24 to 36 hours.
Tropical Depression Five formed after Air Force Hurricane Hunters investigated the disturbance Monday and found a closed circulation in the northern Gulf.
Aircraft data measured winds of 35 mph, with stronger gusts, while the storm's estimated minimum central pressure stood at 1,012 millibars.
That is only slightly below normal atmospheric pressure, showing the system remained weak for now, although a significant drop would signal that it was rapidly strengthening.
