Tropical Storm Edouard was a tropical storm that organized in the Gulf of Mexico

Tropical Storm Edouard

Tropical Storm Edouard was a tropical storm that organized in the Gulf of Mexico. A shear line stalled in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico in early August as troughing aloft dug into the northeast Gulf of Mexico.

This energy aloft help to organize a surface low along the shear line early on August 2, which slowly organized over the following day. It strengthen into Tropical Depression Five before gaining intensity and being named Tropical Storm Edouard on August 3, the fifth named storm of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season. The tropical storm moved westward to the south of the central Gulf coast on August 4. It made landfall on August 5 on the upper Texas coast about 40 miles southwest of Port Arthur and moved west-northwest into the interior of Texas. Edouard weakened quickly over land and was downgraded to a tropical depression late on August 5. The depression turned to the northwest, dropping heavy rains on central Texas on August 6. Damage after Edouard is unknown.

On August 2, 2008, a trough entered the northern Gulf of Mexico, with a low pressure area developing near Apalachicola, Florida. The system maintained scattered deep convection across offshore waters and environmental conditions favored development. The system tracked generally west-southwestward, due to its position south of a subtropical ridge extending from Texas through Florida. In the afternoon of August 3, a Hurricane Hunters flight into the system confirmed the development of a reasonable well-defined center of circulation, slightly exposed from a disorganized area of thunderstorms; based on its organization, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) initiated advisories on Tropical Depression Five about 85 miles (137 km) south of the mouth of the Mississippi River. Initially, the depression was located in an area of northerly wind shear and dry air, and as a result it was forecast to slowly intensify. However, Hurricane Hunter data indicated flight level winds of 65 miles per hour (105 km/h), and the NHC upgraded it to Tropical Storm Edouard late on August 3. By early on August 4, convection briefly decreased around the center, before a pre-dawn convective flare up enveloped its east side, nearly surrounding the center by afternoon as westerly vertical wind shear decreased. Later that night, organization continued, and Edouard strengthened to a strong tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 65 miles per hour (105 km/h). On the morning of August 5, Edouard made landfall in southern Gilchrist, Texas and weakened as it moved farther to the west-northwest. The storm was downgraded to a tropical depression late on August 5, turning more to the northwest into central Texas as it continued to weaken.

Preparations and impact

In preparations for the storm, emergency teams along the Louisiana and Texas coasts were activated. Texas Governor Rick Perry issued a disaster declaration for 17 Texas counties that could be in the path of Tropical Storm Edouard. Perry activated up to 1,200 National Guard troops, a 70 member rescue team, six helicopters and an incident management team that brings food and water to affected areas. Under the order, about 200 buses are available in San Antonio and Houston to help in evacuations. Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal declared a statewide emergency. In Cameron Parish, Louisiana the Office of Emergency Preparedness ordered a mandatory evacuation, where Sheriff’s deputies also erected roadblocks. In the Gulf of Mexico, Shell Oil evacuated about 40 workers from drilling operations.[9] BP and Chevron also evacuated workers from platforms in the western and central Gulf, though did not predict substantial effects on production. Edouard’s Storm Total Rainfall Storm surge values reached 3.6 feet (1.1 m) at Freshwater Locks in Louisiana, and 3.92 feet (1.19 m) at Rollover Pass in Texas. Heavy rainfall fell along and inland of the upper Texas coast. The highest rainfall report from Jefferson county from Edouard was 4.69 inches (119 mm) from a site along the East Bay Bayou at Jones and Allen. In the Houston, Texas area, 6.48 inches (165 mm) had fallen at the Baytown Emergency Management Center. In central Texas, a burst of thunderstorm activity near its center on August 6 led to 6.11 inches (155 mm) of rain near Hamilton, Texas. Peak winds of around 65 mph (105 km/h) at the time of landfall caused scattered power outages and occasional down trees.

Source Wikipedia