The Gulf of Mexico's latest tropical storm has formed, and its name is Edouard.
The National Hurricane Center upgraded the low pressure system's status with its 7 p.m. update. Edouard has maximum sustained winds of 40 miles-per-hour. The system's center of circulation is located about 80 miles due south of Vermilion Bay and about 140 miles southeast of Cameron, Louisiana.
According to the National Hurricane Center, Edouard is expected to make landfall early Tuesday afternoon near the Louisiana-Texas State Line. A tropical storm warning is in effect from the Vermilion/Iberia Parish Line to Port Bolivar, Texas.
Although the NHC's forecast is calling for landfall as a tropical storm, meteorologists there urge residents along the Louisiana and Texas coasts to keep a close eye on the storm.
"The tropical cyclone is fairly compact and has a small radius of maximum wind," forecasters said in their online discussion. "Although it only has about a day over the very warm Gulf waters, strengthening is expected within a generally low shear environment. Since the small size of the system makes it more susceptible to quicker intensity changes, the NHC intensity forecast has been raised and now lies above almost all of the intensity guidance, including HCCA and IVCN. The legacy hurricane regional models (HWRF/HMON) show even more strengthening than is forecast here. While this does not appear to be the most likely scenario, interests in the warning area are reminded to closely monitor the latest forecast updates."
The New Orleans area will see minimal impacts from Edouard. The area will receive some rain and a breeze from the system, but nothing more.
