A tropical disturbance in the Gulf has the potential to bring heavy rainfall to the Houston area and other parts of Southeast Texas late Thursday through early Saturday, according to the National Weather Service office for the Houston and Galveston region.
A broad area of low pressure remained in the northern Gulf off the coast of Alabama, the weather service said Thursday morning. The disturbance has remained disorganized after passing over Florida earlier this week.
While the system is not expected to pass over the Houston area, it likely will bring rain, National Weather Service meteorologist Haley Adams said. There isa marginal risk of excessive rainfall Friday and Saturday along and east of Interstate 45, according to the weather service, which says there is a greater risk of excessive rainfall in eastern Chambers County on Friday.
Localized flooding also is possible.
"Our rain chances aren't going to be as high as we initially expected, but we still could get some of those outer rain showers," Adams said. "We have some just to the east of our area that are working their way over."
The system is expected to make landfall in Louisiana on Thursday and has a 30% chance of developing into a tropical depression, which marks a decrease from earlier predictions. The weather service on Wednesday said there was a 40% chance.
"The areas of concern now, that [the National Hurricane Center] has on their website, is along the Louisiana coast, looking more like the eastern half of Louisiana's coast," Adams said.
In anticipation of the potentially severe weather, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott activated the state's emergency resources Thursday. The activation includes agencies such as the Texas Division of Emergency Management, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the Public Utility Commission of Texas, among others.
"Texans are urged to take all necessary precautions for potential tropical weather, including monitoring forecasts and road conditions and having an emergency plan to keep themselves and their loved ones safe," Abbott said in a statement. "The State of Texas will continue to closely monitor weather conditions to protect our communities."
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