Tropical Storm Arthur brought rain, wind and minor flooding concerns to Galveston County, but impacts were less severe than initially forecast as most heavy rain remained offshore.
Tropical Storm Arthur brought rain, gusty winds and coastal flooding concerns to Galveston County on Wednesday, but the storm’s impact was less severe than forecasters initially warned.Tropical Storm Arthur formed Wednesday morning along the middle Texas coast, becoming the first named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season. The National Hurricane Center upgraded the system at 10 a.m. after sustained winds reached 40 mph.
At the time, the storm sat about 40 miles east-north-east of Port O’Connor and moved north-east at 9 mph. It later made landfall near Matagorda Bay early Wednesday afternoon before tracking towards the upper Texas coast and into southwestern Louisiana by nightfall.
Forecasters had warned earlier in the week that the storm could bring widespread rainfall totals of 5 to 10 inches across the region, with isolated amounts approaching 20 inches — levels that could trigger life-threatening flash flooding.
However, much of Arthur’s heaviest rainband remained over the Gulf of Mexico, limiting rainfall totals in Galveston County.
“Most of Arthur’s rain bands remained over the Gulf,” said Catherine Whitaker, noting that only scattered showers persisted by Wednesday afternoon.
Rainfall totals varied across the county. According to Katie Landry, Galveston Island recorded between 3 and 6.5 inches of rain, with the highest totals on the West End near Jamaica Beach. Mainland areas generally saw between 1.5 and 3 inches, with higher amounts near Santa Fe and along the Clear Creek watershed.
Surrounding counties experienced heavier rainfall, with some areas receiving up to 8 inches over a 72-hour period, officials said.
Despite the reduced rainfall totals locally, the storm still caused periods of strong winds, minor coastal flooding concerns and scattered power outages.
Officials said the storm serves as a reminder of the unpredictability of tropical systems, particularly as the hurricane season begins.
Arthur is expected to continue moving northeast, weakening as it tracks inland over Louisiana.
