MIAMI — The remnants of Post-Tropical Cyclone Arthur are expected to sweep across the southeastern United States through Friday, threatening the Florida Panhandle with dangerous flash flooding and possible tornadoes as the system tracks east-northeast from the upper Texas coast.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami issued its final advisory on Arthur Wednesday evening, placing the system’s center about 35 miles north-northeast of Galveston, Texas, and about 85 miles west-southwest of Lake Charles, Louisiana. Maximum sustained winds had dropped to 35 mph with higher gusts, and all coastal watches and warnings were discontinued.
But the flood threat is far from over. The NHC forecast calls for rainfall totals of 5 to 10 inches — with isolated amounts near 20 inches — from the mid and upper Texas coast east-northeast into southern and central portions of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, along with western portions of Georgia and the Florida Panhandle. The agency warned the rainfall “could generate dangerous to life-threatening flash flooding.”
NHC Forecaster Beven noted the post-tropical cyclone was moving northeast at 9 mph, with a faster northeastward motion expected overnight followed by a turn toward the east-northeast through Friday. That forecast track would carry Arthur’s remnants farther inland over southeastern Texas and western Louisiana before crossing the southeastern United States — putting the Florida Panhandle in the path of the system’s heaviest moisture.
The tornado threat adds another layer of danger. The NHC warned that a few tornadoes are possible across southeast Louisiana and southern Mississippi overnight, expanding Thursday into parts of Alabama, Georgia and the Florida Panhandle. Residents across the western Florida Panhandle should monitor local National Weather Service products for tornado watches and warnings as the remnants approach.
Along the Gulf Coast, swells generated by Arthur are “likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions” for the next day or two, according to the advisory. Water levels remain elevated along the upper Texas coast but are expected to subside overnight. Tropical-storm-force wind gusts remain possible along the Louisiana coast.
Arthur made its mark as the first named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, designated AL012026 by the NHC. The system’s center re-formed near Galveston, according to surface observations referenced in the NHC’s forecast discussion. The estimated minimum central pressure stood at 1000 millibars, or 29.53 inches.
While additional weakening is expected as the system moves inland, the NHC stressed that the remnants of Arthur “will continue to produce widespread heavy rains across the southeastern United States during the next few days.” The combination of training rainfall bands and saturated ground across the Gulf states raises the flash-flood risk well beyond the storm’s diminished wind field.
This was the final public advisory issued by the National Hurricane Center on Arthur. Local National Weather Service offices across the Florida Panhandle, Alabama and Georgia will continue issuing flood watches, warnings and severe weather alerts through Friday as the remnants cross the region.