Tropical Storm Edouard Headed for Gulf Coast

Tropical Storm Edouard is moving toward the Texas and Louisiana coasts and may strengthen to a hurricane over the next 24 hours. (NOAA/Getty Images)

The Gulf Coast is on tight watch as Tropical Storm Edouard, the fifth storm of the 2008 hurricane season, looms in the Gulf of Mexico.

Tropical Storm Edouard is expected to make landfall in Texas on Tuesday with winds reaching tropical storm speed of less than 74 miles per hour. However, the likelihood of the storm of turning into a Category 1 hurricane is relatively low. The National Hurricane Center reported a 20 percent chance of reaching hurricane wind speeds of above 74 miles per hour.

A tropical storm warning, meaning a storm conditions can be expected within 24 hours, was issued for the Gulf Coast stretching from Louisiana to Intracoastal City. A tropical storm watch, which means that storm conditions can be expected within 36 hours, was issued for a stretch of the Gulf Coast from the Mississippi River to Port O’Connor in Texas.

The storm was reported to be moving west at over 7 miles per hour with wind speed of 45 miles per hour.

If the storm reaches hurricane status, Edouard would be the second storm to hit the Texas coast in the past month. Hurricane Dolly slammed into Southern Texas as a Category 2 hurricane causing $1.2 billion in damage.

The National Hurricane Center predicted a storm surge of two to four feet, three to five inches of rain in Louisiana and four to six inches of rain in Southeast Texas.

However, even before making landfall, the effects of the storm is being felt as energy companies shut down production along the coast. Off shore platforms were evacuated on Monday and then strengthened in preparation for the storm.

According to the U.S. Minerals Management Services, Edouard has closed down 0.9 percent of US crude oil production and 7.2 percent of natural gas output. The Gulf of Mexico produces a quarter of U.S. crude oil output and 15 percent of natural gas production.

Marathon Oil shut its 76,000 barrel per day production in Texas City, Texas and Valero Energy Corp warned of possible disruption to its traffic in the Houston Ship Channel.

Unlike previous storms that ravaged the Southern coast, Edouard is not expected to bring the same effects that Hurricane Katrina and Rita did in 2005.