Tropical Storm Arthur follows heavy rains that moved through the Houston area June 16. (Courtesy Harris County Precinct 4)
The National Weather Service named Tropical Storm Arthur on June 17, which is expected to bring flooding to portions of Texas and Louisiana, per the NWS advisory. The storm is the first one named of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season.
The tropical storm is expected to move through Texas on Wednesday, June 17, and Louisiana in the evening June 17 before weakening and dissipating by June 18 or early June 19, per the NWS.
Tropical Storm Arthur has sustained winds of 40 mph and is moving northeast, per the NWS. A tropical storm watch is in effect for Brazoria, Chambers and Galveston counties, while a tropical storm warning is in effect for parts of the Gulf.
A flood watch is also in effect for Harris County through 7 p.m. June 17, per a Facebook post from the NWS.
The storm is expected to move through portions of Texas and Louisiana between June 17-19. (Screenshot courtesy The National Weather Service)
In a June 16 news release, CenterPoint Energy officials said the company has mobilized around 2,600 personnel to respond to any outages that occur.
Jason Fabre, CenterPoint’s vice president of special response and incident commander, said quick responses to potential outages will remain a priority.
“Our entire team remains focused on preparing for and responding to potential impacts from this ongoing storm system and working closely with our local and state emergency partners on any response,” Fabre said in the news release. “Everyone in the Greater Houston area—whether you live or work here or are visiting our great city—should continue to take the necessary steps to stay safe during this period of stormy weather.”
Entergy Texas officials also said in a June 16 news release that the company is preparing for the weather and has activated its storm command center.
“Our teams prepare for storms year-round, and we’ve positioned our people and resources to ensure a safe and strong storm response,” Frank Shannon, vice president of reliability for Entergy Texas, said in the news release. “If outages happen, our goal is to safely restore power as quickly as possible.”
Also of note
Lake Conroe in Montgomery County is at 201.24 feet above sea level, and the current outflow is 529 cubic feet per second, the San Jacinto River Authority said in a June 17 operational update.
In the Humble and Kingwood area, Lake Houston’s discharge is at 14,877.12 cubic feet per second, according to the Coastal Water Authority’s dashboard.
