Will Houston Have a Problem or Answered Prayer?

Clouds: Latest infrared satellite loop of Edouard, courtesy Unisys. Click here to expand. Refresh page to update.

Yesterday evening, Tropical Storm Edouard formed in the soupy waters of the Gulf Mexico. It's now headed for the Lone Star state where many areas could use some tropical rain. Current track guidance brings Edouard onshore on the south side of Galveston Bay in about 24-hours although the cone of uncertainty is large.

In drought-stricken Houston and nearby, rain would be welcome but there are concerns about the impacts of possible storm intensification. On the abc13.com Houston Weather Blog, chief meteorologist Tim Heller writes:

The wind shear around the storm is less than 10 knots. The water temperatures in this part of the Gulf of Mexico are over 85° and pushing 90° in some spots. This could allow the storm to strengthen even more at it moves toward the Texas coast.

At the very least, we can expect to get some much needed rain from Edouard. If the storm intensifies into a hurricane, we could also see some wind damage, beach erosion and coastal flooding in our coastal communities.

Monitor the latest updates from Edouard, issued every three hours (11 a.m., 2 p.m., 5 p.m., etc.) on the National Hurricane Center Web site. See also the Houston Chronicle's Hurricane Center for storm tracking tools and blogs.