Edouard may near hurricane strength before reaching northwest Gulf Coast, NHC says
XOM•Refineries prepare ahead of the storm
Meanwhile, Motiva Enterprises MOTIV.UL and Exxon Mobil were preparing their East Texas refineries ahead of the storm, people familiar with plant operations said on Monday.
Edouard forecast to strengthen before reaching the Gulf Coast
Aug. 31 (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Edouard is likely to strengthen and could approach hurricane strength before it reaches the northwest U.S. Gulf coast on Tuesday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in its latest advisory.
The storm was located about 155 miles (250 km) southeast of Port Arthur, Texas, with maximum sustained winds of 40 miles per hour (65 kph).
Edouard is likely to produce rainfall totals of 3 to 6 inches with maximum totals up to 9 inches for parts of the upper Texas Coast inland through east-central Texas, with potential for 2 to 3 inches in far southwest Louisiana, the NHC said.
"This rainfall is likely to produce flash flooding especially in low-lying and urban areas."
