Tropical Storm Edouard Threatens Louisiana
Fifth Storm Of The 2008 Hurricane Season Forms In The Gulf Of
Mexico
NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 3, 2008
This
infared satelite image from the National
Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration shows Tropical Storm Edouard off the
coast of New Orleans on Aug. 3, 2008. (NOAA)
(Reuters found at reuters.com
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved )
The fifth tropical storm of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season formed near a
major oil and gas producing area of the northern Gulf of Mexico on Sunday, the
U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
Tropical Storm Edouard, located around 80 miles southeast of the mouth of the
Mississippi River by 11 p.m. EDT, was expected to come ashore at close to
hurricane strength in a few days on the Texas coast, the Miami-based hurricane
center said.
One of the computer models used to predict storm paths and intensities
indicated Edouard could become a hurricane, with winds in excess of 74 miles per
hour (119 km per hour), the hurricane center said. But its official forecast
called for Edouard to top out at 69 mph (111 kph).
The center issued a hurricane watch, meaning hurricane conditions are
possible within 36 hours, for the coastline west of Intracoastal City,
Louisiana, to Port O'Connor, Texas.
A tropical storm warning, meaning tropical storm conditions could be expected
within 24 hours, was extended westward from the Mississippi River to Cameron,
Louisiana.
Edouard's top sustained winds were near 50 mph (85 kph). It was moving west
at 5 mph (7 kph) on a track that would take it to the coast of southwestern
Louisiana or the upper Texas coast by Tuesday.
Much of U.S. offshore oil production was in the likely path of the storm,
which could also threaten Gulf Coast refineries.
Oil companies have been working to strengthen platforms to withstand
hurricane-force winds.
A series of powerful hurricanes in 2004 and 2005, including Hurricane
Katrina, toppled oil rigs and severed pipelines in the Gulf, where the U.S.
produces almost a third of its crude and 15 percent of its natural gas.
The six-month hurricane season, which began on June 1, has already seen two
of its four storms strengthen into hurricanes. Last month was the third most
active month of July for storms since Atlantic hurricane season records began in
1851.
The early and unusually vigorous storm activity has given storm experts
reason to believe that predictions for an above average season could turn out to
be accurate.
Among the storms this year, Hurricane Dolly came ashore on the southern Texas
coast on July 23, dousing the area with tremendous downpours but causing
relatively little damage.
Hurricane Bertha grazed Bermuda and became the eighth longest-lived Atlantic
storm on record before fading over the cool waters of the northern Atlantic,
while Tropical Storm Cristobal brought heavy rain to the Carolinas.
(Reporting by Michael Christie, additional reporting by Erwin Seba in
Houston; Editing by Doina Chiacu)
