Atlantic hurricane season opens with Tropical Storm Arthur inundating Gulf coast

The southern US is seeing intense rain that is expected to cause dangerous flash flooding

The first tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season formed on Wednesday near the Gulf coast, bringing intense rain and the threat of dangerous flash floods to states including Texas and Louisiana , meteorologists said.

Tropical Storm Arthur was a disorganized cluster of storms that brought rain for days over parts of eastern Mexico and the Gulf. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said conditions were conducive for a short-lived tropical storm to form.

The National Hurricane Center director, Michael Brennan, said during a briefing that flash flood warnings were already being issued in the Houston metro area, with more likely to follow across the region, even after the center of the storm passes.

“The main threat from Arthur is going to be a prolonged, multiday, heavy rainfall event that could produce dangerous to life-threatening flash flooding,” Brennan said.

A teenager appears to have drowned in a flooded retention pond outside Houston, authorities said on Tuesday evening. A group of teens was playing near a construction zone and an adjacent retention pond when a 15-year-old boy entered the water, the Montgomery county sheriff’s office said on social media. Rescue workers found his body using sonar technology after an extensive search.

“This incident serves as a solemn reminder of the dangers associated with floodwaters, particularly following periods of heavy rainfall,” the post said.

Houston is hosting a World Cup match on Wednesday between Portugal and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The stadium is covered, and no plans have been announced to move or reschedule the match.