Former Tropical Storm Edouard continued to weaken Sept. 3 while producing heavy rainfall and flooding across parts of Texas, with the National Hurricane Center saying some locations could receive as much as 22 inches of rain.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic basin, conditions remained relatively quiet as the hurricane season approached its historical Sept. 10 peak. The National Hurricane Center was monitoring three tropical waves, including one approaching the Lesser Antilles. Another was moving west across the central tropical Atlantic, while a third was farther east.
No hurricane was threatening Florida as of early Sept. 3. Ryan Truchelut, chief meteorologist at WeatherTiger, said wind shear spreading from the Caribbean into the eastern Atlantic should suppress tropical activity during the first part of September.
Florida still faces a wet stretch. Forecasters expect periods of tropical downpours and widespread thunderstorms, with enhanced moisture moving across the state and eastern Gulf Coast. AccuWeather meteorologist Nicholas Arman said thunderstorms could produce heavier downpours through the holiday weekend.
Warm waters and a slow-moving boundary near Florida and the Southeast coast could provide conditions for tropical development later in the period, according to AccuWeather. Forecasters had not identified a specific developing tropical storm, however.
For property and catastrophe claims operations, the immediate concern is rainfall rather than a named hurricane threat. Flooding in Texas could generate property and auto losses even as catastrophe teams continue monitoring the Atlantic for changes closer to the seasonal peak. In Florida, repeated thunderstorms and heavy downpours could also produce localized water, wind and lightning claims without a tropical cyclone making landfall.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis proclaimed September Florida Preparedness Month on Sept. 1. The Florida Division of Emergency Management urged residents to review evacuation zones, disaster plans and emergency supplies as the state enters the historically busiest portion of hurricane season.
