Tropical Storm Edouard 2026: Gulf Coast Landfall Retrospective
language: "en"
storm_id: "AL052026"
Tropical Storm Edouard reached peak best-track intensity at 50 kt with a minimum pressure of 998 mb before making landfall near Johnson Bayou, Louisiana, at 1920 UTC on September 1, 2026. The compact storm crossed into southeastern Texas with a landfall wind estimate of 60 mph (52 kt) and produced a more substantial inland rainfall threat than its relatively small wind field suggested. Its strongest verified surface gust was 71 mph at Texas Point, while later rainfall observations in southeast Texas exceeded 15 inches at several locations. The tropical cyclone weakened to a depression over eastern Texas, while its remnants continued to produce heavy rain and flooding into September 3.
Formation over the Gulf: How Edouard Became a Compact Tropical Storm
Edouard developed over the northern Gulf of Mexico and reached 40 kt by 0900 UTC on September 1, only hours before landfall, as radar, reconnaissance, and satellite observations showed a consolidating inner core. The official Atlantic record identifies Edouard as AL052026, the fifth named storm of the 2026 North Atlantic season, with a named-storm period from August 31 to September 2 and a best-track maximum of 50 kt.
The early circulation was relatively small. That characteristic shaped almost every subsequent part of the storm's lifecycle, from its wind distribution to its rainfall footprint and the narrow corridor of strongest coastal effects.
The initial disturbance can be traced to August 28, when a low-level circulation was present over the northern Gulf region. It was not yet a tropical storm. During the following days, convection gradually became organized enough for forecasters to begin treating the system as a tropical cyclone threat to the northwestern Gulf Coast.
By August 31, the system had acquired a sufficiently organized circulation to receive the name Edouard. At 0300 UTC on September 1, the storm was centered near 28.6°N, 91.8°W, roughly 125 miles southeast of Cameron, Louisiana. Maximum sustained winds were estimated at 40 mph, or approximately 35 kt, with a central pressure near 1005 mb. It was moving west-northwest at about 7 mph.
The environment remained favorable enough for additional strengthening as Edouard approached the coast. The important point is that the strengthening was concentrated into a short final approach rather than constituting a textbook rapid-intensification episode. The National Hurricane Center's operational discussions described the storm as small and increasingly organized, with reconnaissance and Doppler radar providing direct evidence of changes in the inner circulation.
At 0900 UTC, the storm had strengthened to 40 kt, with an estimated pressure of 1005 mb. A reconnaissance aircraft was investigating the center, while radar imagery from Lake Charles showed a defined core. The advisory warned that significant strengthening could occur before landfall.
The next several hours supplied the clearest example of why small tropical cyclones can change quickly near the coast. At 1200 UTC, Edouard was near 29.3°N, 93.0°W, approximately 40 miles southeast of Cameron. Maximum sustained winds were estimated at 40 mph, while the central pressure was 1003 mb.
By 1355 UTC, reconnaissance and radar data supported an increase to 50 mph, with the center about 35 miles south of Cameron. The estimated central pressure was 1000 mb.
That sequence shows a steady intensification pattern:
Time Position Maximum wind Central pressure Status
Aug. 31, 0300 UTC 28.6°N, 91.8°W 35 kt 1005 mb Tropical storm
Sep. 1, 0900 UTC 29.0°N, 92.8°W 40 kt 1005 mb Tropical storm
Sep. 1, 1200 UTC 29.3°N, 93.0°W 40 kt 1003 mb Tropical storm
Sep. 1, 1355 UTC 29.3°N, 93.2°W 50 mph 1000 mb Strengthening
Sep. 1, 1500 UTC 29.4°N, 93.3°W 50 mph 1000 mb Tropical storm
Sep. 1, 1800 UTC 29.7°N, 93.6°W 50 mph 1000 mb Pre-landfall
Sep. 1, 1920 UTC 29.7°N, 93.8°W 60 mph 996 mb Louisiana landfall
Sep. 1, 2100 UTC 29.9°N, 94.0°W 50 mph 998 mb Inland
Sep. 2, 0300 UTC 30.5°N, 94.6°W 30 kt 1002 mb Tropical depression
The operational record contains slightly different pressure estimates at individual observation times and in the final best track. That is normal in tropical-cyclone analysis: a landfall update can contain a real-time estimate based on radar and surface data, while the later best track provides the finalized historical intensity series. The official seasonal table gives Edouard a minimum pressure of 998 mb and maximum sustained winds of 50 kt.
Reconnaissance was particularly valuable because Edouard's center was close enough to the Louisiana and Texas coast for direct measurements to supplement satellite estimates. One reconnaissance dropsonde reported mean boundary-layer winds of 61 kt, while Doppler velocities increased substantially during the morning. Forecasters used those observations to raise the initial intensity to 45 kt in the 1000 AM CDT discussion.
The storm's compactness also meant that the strongest winds were concentrated near the center. At 1500 UTC, tropical-storm-force winds extended outward only about 25 miles from the center. This is an important distinction between storm intensity and storm size: a 50-kt tropical cyclone can have a much smaller affected wind area than a larger system with the same peak wind speed.
Landfall Near Johnson Bayou: Edouard's Strongest Hours
Edouard reached its 50-kt best-track peak immediately before landfall, while radar placed the center near Johnson Bayou at 1920 UTC with an estimated landfall wind of 60 mph and a 996-mb instantaneous pressure. The National Hurricane Center's landfall update placed the center at 29.7°N, 93.8°W, approximately 15 miles south-southeast of Port Arthur, Texas, and 30 miles west-southwest of Cameron, Louisiana.
The final approach was unusually compressed. At 1600 UTC, Edouard was about 20 miles south-southwest of Cameron with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph and a central pressure near 1000 mb. Radar showed the center moving northwest at approximately 8 mph.
One hour later, another position update continued to show tropical-storm conditions across southwestern Louisiana and the upper Texas coast. Surface observations around Calcasieu Pass, Cameron, and Texas Point were beginning to document the wind field directly.
At 1800 UTC, Edouard was roughly 20 miles west-southwest of Cameron and 25 miles southeast of Port Arthur. Its maximum sustained wind estimate remained 50 mph. The Hurricane Watch was discontinued at this stage as the forecast envelope narrowed toward the immediate coast.
Then came the landfall.
At 1920 UTC, radar from Lake Charles and Houston indicated that the center had moved ashore near Johnson Bayou. The landfall intensity was estimated at 60 mph, equivalent to approximately 52 kt. A National Ocean Service station near Texas Point reported sustained winds of 57 mph and a gust to 71 mph.
The 71-mph gust is one of the clearest direct observations of Edouard's wind impact. It also illustrates the difference between the storm's official maximum sustained wind and the higher instantaneous gusts measured by surface stations. A 50-kt best-track intensity does not mean every measured wind remains at exactly 50 kt; gusts can be considerably higher, particularly near convective bands.
The coastal wind field was accompanied by storm-surge concerns. Before landfall, forecasts called for 3 to 5 feet of inundation above ground from High Island, Texas, to the Vermilion/Cameron Parish line in Louisiana, with 1 to 3 feet farther east toward Morgan City. The surge threat depended heavily on the timing of the peak water level relative to the astronomical tide.
That forecast was subsequently reduced as the storm approached and the warning area narrowed. At the 2100 UTC advisory, the storm-surge forecast for the remaining affected coastal sector was 1 to 3 feet.
The change illustrates an important feature of operational tropical-cyclone forecasting. Surge is not determined by wind speed alone. Storm size, track angle, coastal bathymetry, tide timing, pressure, and the geometry of the shoreline all influence the final water level. Edouard's small circulation limited the spatial reach of its strongest winds, while its position near the Louisiana-Texas border concentrated the principal coastal hazard along a relatively narrow section of shoreline.
The wind observations around Port Arthur provide another useful reference point. A station there recorded sustained winds of 40 mph and a gust of 49 mph during the afternoon before landfall. By the time the center crossed the coast, the Texas Point station closer to the circulation had recorded the substantially stronger 71-mph gust.
This pattern fits the storm's compact structure. Wind speeds changed sharply over relatively short distances. Locations close to the core experienced much stronger conditions than stations farther from the circulation.
The storm also carried a tornado risk. Forecasts issued before landfall called for the possibility of one or two tornadoes across parts of southwestern Louisiana and southeastern Texas. This threat came from embedded convective bands rather than from the broad rotational wind field alone.
Rainfall was already becoming the larger concern as Edouard moved inland. The initial forecast called for 3 to 6 inches across parts of the upper Texas coast and east-central Texas, with isolated totals up to 9 inches and 2 to 4 inches possible in far southwestern Louisiana. By the afternoon, the forecast maximum increased to 12 inches in some locations.
That adjustment became important after landfall because Edouard's forward motion remained slow enough for tropical rainbands to repeatedly affect the same areas.
From Beaumont to East Texas: When Rainfall Became the Main Hazard
Edouard weakened to a tropical depression by 0300 UTC September 2, but rainfall intensified as the circulation moved slowly across eastern Texas, with later observations exceeding 15 inches at multiple southeast Texas sites. The storm's inland evolution demonstrates why tropical-cyclone intensity alone is a poor measure of total hazard.
At 2100 UTC on September 1, Edouard was just inland near 29.9°N, 94.0°W, about five miles west of Port Arthur. Maximum sustained winds were still estimated near 50 mph, while the central pressure was 998 mb. Heavy rain and gusty winds were spreading across southeastern Texas.
Three hours later, the center had reached the Beaumont metropolitan area. At 0000 UTC September 2, Edouard was near 30.2°N, 94.2°W, about 10 miles northwest of Beaumont. Maximum sustained winds had fallen to 45 mph. The tropical-storm warning was being narrowed as the system moved inland.
By 0300 UTC, Edouard was classified as a tropical depression. The center was near 30.5°N, 94.6°W, about 40 miles northwest of Beaumont, with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph and a central pressure near 1002 mb.
The circulation remained sufficiently organized to maintain a coherent rainfall shield. But the center's weakening did not immediately eliminate the flooding threat. Instead, the storm's slow northwestward motion allowed rainbands to train over portions of eastern Texas.
A Weather Prediction Center mesoscale precipitation discussion issued early September 2 warned that peak hourly rainfall could reach 2 to 3 inches or more across southeastern Texas. The concern was flash flooding, with locally significant impacts possible as the depression moved slowly northwest.
NCEP Weather Prediction Center
Later that morning, the rainfall threat became more severe. Another precipitation discussion described the possibility of significant to extreme flash flooding in eastern Texas and far western Louisiana, with training rainbands capable of producing 3 inches or more per hour.
NCEP Weather Prediction Center
The physical mechanism was straightforward. Moist tropical air continued feeding the circulation from the Gulf, while the center moved slowly enough for individual bands to pass repeatedly across some of the same areas. Rainfall accumulated faster than drainage systems and small waterways could carry the water away.
The observed totals eventually surpassed the earlier forecast ranges at several locations. A Weather Prediction Center storm summary issued September 2 listed preliminary storm-total rainfall of 17.75 inches at Little Pine Island Bayou near State Highway 787, 16.53 inches at Southern Rough, 15.69 inches at Warren, and 13.39 inches at Kountze 2.4 miles west. Louisiana observations in the same report included 3.59 inches at the Vinton Drainage Canal Boat Launch and 2.30 inches at Bearhead Creek at Highway 12.
NCEP Weather Prediction Center
These preliminary totals are especially significant because they show how the storm's inland hazard diverged from its wind intensity. Edouard was no longer even a tropical storm when some of the most serious rainfall impacts were developing.
By 2100 UTC September 2, the Weather Prediction Center still described Edouard as a tropical depression and warned that the system would continue to pose a threat for locally extreme rainfall in east Texas through Thursday morning. The center was then near 31.6°N, 95.2°W, approximately 35 miles northwest of Lufkin. Maximum sustained winds had fallen to only 25 mph.
NCEP Weather Prediction Center
The wind field was fading, but the hydrologic response was still developing.
This distinction is important in post-storm analysis. Tropical cyclone intensity is primarily a measure of maximum sustained wind near the circulation center. Flooding depends on a much larger set of variables: rainfall rate, rainfall duration, antecedent soil conditions, basin size, drainage capacity, terrain, river levels, and storm translation speed. Edouard's evolution supplied a clear example of a cyclone becoming meteorologically weaker while remaining hazardous at the surface.
By September 3, the Weather Prediction Center reported that the remnants were dissipating over eastern Texas, but lingering hydrologic effects continued. River flood warnings remained in effect across portions of southeast Texas, while preliminary multi-day rainfall totals locally exceeded 15 to 25 inches. Those totals continued to create runoff problems and moderate to major river flooding along bayous and tributaries.
NCEP Weather Prediction Center
The next morning, no surface low remained associated with the remnants, but mid- and upper-level energy was still capable of generating additional convection. Moderate to heavy rainfall continued across southeastern Texas, with flood and flash-flood warnings remaining active in portions of the region.
NCEP Weather Prediction Center
The final hydrologic phase thus outlasted the tropical-cyclone phase. Edouard's name disappeared from the tropical warning structure before the water moved through every affected drainage basin.
The Physical Record: Wind, Pressure, Rainfall and Coastal Water
Edouard's final physical record combines a 50-kt peak wind, a 998-mb best-track minimum pressure, a 71-mph observed gust, coastal surge forecasts of up to 5 feet, and preliminary southeast Texas rainfall locally above 15 inches. Those measurements describe a storm whose principal damage mechanism shifted from wind and coastal water to inland rainfall within roughly one day.
NCEP Weather Prediction Center
The following benchmark matrix separates finalized or directly observed values from forecast quantities, which is important when reconstructing the storm after the fact.
| :: | :: |
Parameter Verified or operational value Measurement context Interpretation
Peak best-track wind 50 kt Atlantic seasonal record Highest official sustained intensity
Peak best-track pressure 998 mb Atlantic seasonal record Lowest finalized best-track pressure
Landfall wind 60 mph / 52 kt NHC radar-based estimate Strongest landfall estimate
Landfall pressure 996 mb NHC landfall update Real-time landfall estimate
Texas Point sustained wind 57 mph / 50 kt Surface station Direct near-core observation
Texas Point peak gust 71 mph / 62 kt Surface station Strongest cited surface gust
Port Arthur sustained wind 40 mph / 35 kt Surface station Pre-landfall Texas observation
Initial surge forecast 3–5 ft Upper Texas coast to Cameron Parish Peak forecast inundation above ground
Later surge forecast 1–3 ft Narrowed coastal area Reduced late-stage estimate
Initial rainfall forecast 3–6 in; locally 9 in Upper Texas coast/east-central Texas Pre-landfall forecast
Updated rainfall forecast 3–7 in; locally 12 in Upper Texas coast/east-central Texas Higher late forecast
Preliminary observed rainfall 17.75 in Little Pine Island Bayou Storm-total preliminary observation
Other preliminary rainfall 15.69 in Warren, Texas Storm-total preliminary observation
Hourly rainfall threat 3+ in/hr Eastern Texas Training-band flash-flood mechanism
Landfall time 1920 UTC, Sep. 1 Johnson Bayou, Louisiana Official radar-based landfall
Depression classification 0300 UTC, Sep. 2 Southeastern Texas Post-landfall weakening
Remnant dissipation phase Sep. 3 Eastern Texas Surface circulation no longer maintained
The pressure figures deserve particular care. The seasonal best-track table gives Edouard's minimum pressure as 998 mb, while the landfall update reported 996 mb at 1920 UTC. These are not necessarily contradictory observations. The first is the finalized historical best-track value; the second was a real-time operational estimate during the landfall analysis.
The same distinction applies to wind. The best-track peak was 50 kt, while the landfall update estimated 60 mph, or approximately 52 kt. A surface station simultaneously measured a 57-mph sustained wind and a 71-mph gust at Texas Point. The different figures represent different measurement methods and times rather than different storms.
Edouard also demonstrates why storm size matters. The National Hurricane Center described the cyclone as small, with tropical-storm-force winds extending only about 25 miles from the center during the pre-landfall period. A narrow wind field can produce sharp differences between nearby observation sites.
Rainfall behaved differently because convection can extend well beyond the radius of maximum wind. Once the storm moved inland, rainbands on the southern and eastern sides of the circulation continued receiving moist inflow from the Gulf. Their slow progression increased the chance of repeated rainfall over the same drainage basins.
The September 2 precipitation discussions captured this process directly. The Weather Prediction Center identified slow north-northwest motion and training tropical rainbands as the main reasons for persistent flash-flood risk. Hourly rainfall of 3 inches or more was considered possible in the heaviest bands.
NCEP Weather Prediction Center
The eventual rainfall totals were therefore not simply a function of the storm's peak wind. They reflected duration and band structure after landfall.
Coastal flooding followed a different physical pathway. The strongest water rise was expected close to the center and to its right-hand side, with the final level influenced by tide timing. The early warning area covered High Island, Texas, through the Vermilion/Cameron Parish line, while a lower 1-to-3-foot range extended farther east toward Morgan City.
As Edouard approached the coast, warnings were progressively reduced. The Hurricane Watch was discontinued before landfall, and the storm-surge warning was later discontinued as the system crossed inland.
That evolution reflects an important operational principle: warnings respond to the current probability and magnitude of a hazard, not simply to the fact that a named storm exists. Once the circulation crossed the coast, the principal concern shifted increasingly toward inland rain and flooding.
Atlantic Record and East Asian Geography: Where Edouard Actually Belonged
Edouard was an Atlantic tropical storm in the 2026 North Atlantic season, with its documented landfall and subsequent impacts confined to the northern Gulf Coast and eastern Texas rather than East Asia. The official seasonal archive identifies Edouard as Atlantic storm number five, while the 2026 advisory archive places it among the Atlantic systems alongside Arthur, Bertha, Cristobal, and Dolly.
This basin distinction matters when comparing global tropical-cyclone seasons. Storm names can recur across different years and basin naming systems, while a name alone does not identify the geographic event.
For Edouard in 2026, the storm identifier was AL052026. Its operational track ran from the Gulf of Mexico toward the Louisiana-Texas coast and then northwestward through eastern Texas. The official advisory sequence begins with Atlantic tropical-storm products on August 31 and continues through the National Hurricane Center's final tropical-depression advisory on September 1, followed by Weather Prediction Center advisories as the weakening system moved inland.
The distinction is also relevant when examining East Asian coastal regions. China, the Philippines, Japan, and Vietnam are exposed primarily to Western Pacific and South China Sea tropical cyclones, whose operational monitoring involves agencies and regional warning systems appropriate to those basins. Edouard's 2026 track does not enter that geographic framework.
The storm's North Atlantic classification is reinforced by the official seasonal statistics. The Atlantic table records a maximum of 50 kt, a minimum pressure of 998 mb, and an accumulated cyclone energy value of 0.8 × 10⁴ kt². It lists Edouard's named-storm dates as August 31 through September 2.
The broader event lasted longer as a weather and hydrologic system than those named-storm dates suggest. The Weather Prediction Center continued issuing advisories on September 2 and storm summaries on September 3 as rainfall and river flooding remained active across eastern Texas.
NCEP Weather Prediction Center
This creates two legitimate but different timelines:
Tropical-storm timeline: August 31 through September 2 in the Atlantic seasonal statistics.
Disturbance-to-remnant timeline: development beginning before naming, followed by tropical-depression and remnant impacts through September 3.
Peak intensity: 50 kt and 998 mb in the finalized Atlantic best track.
Landfall: 1920 UTC September 1 near Johnson Bayou, Louisiana.
Primary inland hazard period: September 2, when heavy rainfall and flash flooding expanded across eastern Texas.
Hydrologic aftermath: September 3, when the surface circulation had dissipated but flood impacts continued.
That distinction prevents a common retrospective error: treating the disappearance of a tropical-cyclone symbol from a track chart as the end of the storm's physical effects. In Edouard's case, the circulation weakened rapidly after landfall, but water continued moving through bayous, tributaries, and flood-prone areas after the tropical classification had ended.
Frequently Asked Questions About Storm Edouard 2026
Was Edouard a hurricane?
Edouard remained below hurricane strength, with a finalized peak of 50 kt, although the National Hurricane Center briefly maintained the possibility of further strengthening before landfall. The official Atlantic seasonal record classifies Edouard as a tropical storm, not a hurricane.
The storm reached 50 kt near landfall but never attained the 64-kt threshold used for hurricane classification in the Atlantic basin.
When did Edouard make landfall?
Edouard made landfall at approximately 1920 UTC on September 1, 2026, near Johnson Bayou in southwestern Cameron Parish, Louisiana, with an estimated wind speed of 60 mph. Radar from Lake Charles and Houston was used to determine the center crossing the coast.
The landfall point was approximately 15 miles south-southeast of Port Arthur, Texas, and about 30 miles west-southwest of Cameron, Louisiana.
What was Edouard's maximum wind speed?
The finalized best-track maximum was 50 kt, while the operational landfall estimate was 60 mph, or about 52 kt. The difference reflects the distinction between the finalized best-track intensity and the real-time landfall estimate.
A nearby Texas Point station recorded a sustained wind of 57 mph and a gust of 71 mph, showing that local gusts could exceed the official storm-wide maximum sustained-wind value.
What was Edouard's lowest pressure?
The finalized Atlantic best track gives Edouard a minimum central pressure of 998 mb, while the landfall update reported 996 mb in real time. The two figures come from different stages of the operational and post-storm analysis.
The 998-mb figure is the appropriate value for a finalized seasonal comparison, while 996 mb describes the operational landfall estimate.
How much rain did Edouard produce?
Preliminary storm-total rainfall locally exceeded 15 inches in southeast Texas, with a maximum cited observation of 17.75 inches at Little Pine Island Bayou. Other preliminary reports included 16.53 inches at Southern Rough, 15.69 inches at Warren, and 13.39 inches near Kountze.
NCEP Weather Prediction Center
Forecast totals before and during landfall were considerably lower in most areas, although forecasters increased the potential maximum to 12 inches as the storm approached and the inland rainfall threat became clearer.
Why did flooding remain severe after Edouard weakened?
Edouard became a tropical depression at 0300 UTC September 2, but slow movement and training rainbands continued to produce rainfall rates of 3 inches or more per hour in some areas. The weakening wind field did not immediately eliminate the hydrologic threat.
The atmosphere still contained abundant tropical moisture, and repeated rainbands concentrated rainfall over already saturated drainage basins.
What was the strongest wind observation?
The strongest cited surface observation was a 71-mph gust at a National Ocean Service station near Texas Point, Texas, close to the Louisiana border. The same station reported a sustained wind of 57 mph.
A station at Port Arthur also recorded a 40-mph sustained wind and a 49-mph gust before landfall.
Did Edouard affect China, the Philippines, Japan, or Vietnam?
The 2026 Edouard record belongs to the North Atlantic basin, with landfall in Louisiana and subsequent impacts across Texas. The official seasonal archive identifies it as Atlantic storm AL052026, while its track remained in the Gulf Coast and eastern Texas region.
Its documented physical impacts therefore belong to the U.S. Gulf Coast and inland Texas rather than the East Asian coastal regions associated with Western Pacific and South China Sea tropical cyclones.
When did Edouard finally dissipate?
The tropical circulation weakened to a depression on September 1 and lost its surface low by September 3, while heavy rainfall and river flooding continued after the circulation had disappeared. The Weather Prediction Center reported lingering hydrologic impacts on September 3, including moderate to major river flooding in parts of southeast Texas.
NCEP Weather Prediction Center
The end of the surface circulation was therefore later than the end of the storm's peak wind threat.
Was Edouard a rapidly intensifying storm?
Edouard strengthened substantially during its final approach, from roughly 35 kt early September 1 to a 50-kt peak, but the official record does not classify the event as a rapid-intensification episode. The storm's strengthening was concentrated close to landfall and involved a small, increasingly organized inner core.
The distinction matters because rapid intensification is a specific meteorological classification, not simply a description for any storm that strengthens noticeably over several hours.
What was the main hazard from Edouard?
Wind and coastal water were the immediate landfall hazards, but prolonged heavy rainfall became the dominant inland hazard as the storm crossed Texas. The rainfall threat continued after Edouard had weakened to a tropical depression and ultimately after its surface circulation dissipated.
NCEP Weather Prediction Center
The progression from wind-driven coastal effects to rainfall-driven flooding is the defining physical sequence of the 2026 Edouard event.
Final Verification Record for Storm Edouard 2026
The finalized record describes a 50-kt Atlantic tropical storm that made a 1920 UTC September 1 Louisiana landfall and evolved into a prolonged eastern Texas rainfall event, with preliminary local rainfall exceeding 15 inches. The core measurements are consistent across the official seasonal statistics, operational advisories, reconnaissance-supported intensity analysis, and subsequent Weather Prediction Center storm summaries.
For a post-storm reconstruction, the most useful sequence is to separate the cyclone into three physical phases. The first was organization over the Gulf of Mexico, when Edouard developed a compact circulation and strengthened toward the Louisiana coast. The second was the short landfall phase, when the storm reached its 50-kt best-track peak and produced its strongest documented coastal winds. The third was the inland rainfall phase, when weakening winds contrasted with increasingly serious flash-flood and river-flood impacts across eastern Texas.
The official timeline also shows why a single pressure or wind number cannot describe the whole event. Edouard's finalized minimum pressure was 998 mb, but its real-time landfall estimate was 996 mb. Its finalized maximum sustained wind was 50 kt, while the landfall estimate was 60 mph and a nearby station recorded a 71-mph gust. Forecast surge reached 3 to 5 feet early in the warning cycle, while rainfall forecasts rose toward 12 inches in isolated areas and later observations exceeded 15 inches at several Texas sites.
NCEP Weather Prediction Center
The storm's geography is equally clear. Edouard was an Atlantic cyclone, not a Western Pacific or South China Sea typhoon, and its verified 2026 track ran from the Gulf of Mexico into Louisiana and Texas. The East Asian coastal regions of China, the Philippines, Japan, and Vietnam therefore do not form part of the documented impact corridor for this particular storm.
On September 3, the Weather Prediction Center reported that the remnants were dissipating over eastern Texas, while rainfall runoff continued to affect bayous and tributaries. Preliminary multi-day rainfall locally reached 15 to 25 inches, and flood warnings remained active in southeast Texas.
NCEP Weather Prediction Center
The meteorological circulation ended, but the water cycle continued through the affected drainage systems. That final transition marks the last measurable stage of the 2026 Edouard event.