Texas is preparing for a possible tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico.
Forecasters say that a tropical wave now approaching the gulf has a 60 percent chance of development over the next five days as it pushes northwest. It could be a tropical depression or a tropical storm by Friday.
The National Hurricane Center says that it could bring the threat of flooding to already saturated grounds, and that residents along the Texas and Louisiana coasts should monitor news on the storm.
A Flash Flood Watch is in effect for the Houston area, and high water this morning has prompted the Harris County Flood Control District to open the Clear Creek Second Outlet gates.
The tropical system is one of five that have formed in the Atlantic Ocean, including hurricanes Florence and Helene, Tropical Storm Isaac and an as-yet unnamed system far off the East Coast.