Tropical Storm Arthur has officially formed in the Gulf: See tracker

Tropical Storm Arthur has officially formed in the Gulf, near the Middle Texas Coast, with life-threatening flooding expected across portions of the Gulf Coast and southeastern United States.

According to the National Hurricane Center, as of 11 a.m. ET Arthur, the first named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, is located about 40 miles east-northeast of Port O'Connor, Texas with maximum sustained winds near 40 mph with higher gusts.

The storm is expected to move northeastward along the Texas coast on Wednesday and then move inland over southwestern Louisiana by the night of Wednesday, June 17, forecasters said. The NHC said the storm could dissipate by Wednesday night or by Thursday morning, June 18.

Due to the approach of the storm, a tropical storm warning is in effect for the Gulf Coast from High Island, Texas to Morgan City, Louisiana, the hurricane center said. A tropical storm warning means tropical storm conditions are expected within 12 hours.

A tropical storm watch is also in effect for the northwestern Gulf Coast from Sargent, Texas, to High Island. This means tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area within the next 24 to 36 hours.

Tropical Storm Arthur path tracker

This forecast track shows the most likely path of the center of the storm. It does not illustrate the full width of the storm or its impacts, and the center of the storm is likely to travel outside the cone up to 33% of the time.

Tropical Storm Arthur spaghetti models

Illustrations include an array of forecast tools and models, and not all are created equal. The hurricane center uses only the top four or five highest-performing models to help make its forecasts.

Gulf Coast braces for several inches of rain

Arthur is expected to produce rainfall totals of 5 to 10 inches, with isolated higher totals near 20 inches, through early Friday morning from the Mid and Upper Texas coast east-northeast into southern and central portions of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, according to the hurricane center.

Western portions of Georgia and the Florida Panhandle could also see heavy rainfall, forecasters said, with dangerous to life-threatening flash flooding possible.

Forecasters said the combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline, with the deepest water occurring along the immediate coast and to the east of the landfall location, where the surge will be accompanied by large and dangerous waves.

Swells generated by Arthur are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions along the northwestern Gulf Coast for the next couple of days, the NHC said. A few tornadoes are also possible through Thursday from the Upper Texas coast into southern Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the western Florida Panhandle.

The National Weather Service office in New Orleans said heavy rains are expected Wednesday night and especially Thursday morning, bringing a possibility of life-threatening flash flooding. The forecast office in Houston said a flood watch is in effect for southeast Texas through Wednesday evening, with an "increased danger to lives and property due to flash flooding."

Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at [email protected].