Tropical Storm Beta now threatens Port Arthur, Texas coast
Published 4:13 pm Friday, September 18, 2020
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Beta is forecasted to be in the western Gulf of Mexico for seven or eight days.
“We are expecting a long duration coastal flooding problem starting this weekend and continuing into next week,” Warning Coordination Meteorologist Roger Erickson said.
Heavy rain and flooding will also be a problem, starting Monday and continuing through next week, according to the National Weather Service.
The highest rain totals in the region of 5 to 10 inches will be along and south of the I-10 corridor in Texas and Louisiana.
As of 4 p.m. Friday, Beta was 395 miles from Port Arthur.
Beta will move northeast through Friday night, before taking an abrupt turn to the west this weekend. It could become a hurricane late this weekend or early next week.
Tropical storm force wind probabilities are 30 percent for Southeast Texas.
Local communities at risk of local flooding are Port Arthur, Sabine Pass and Hillebrandt Bayou.