Several media outlets are reporting that at least 17 million people from San Luis Pass, TX, to the Alabama-Florida border are under a tropical storm warning as Tropical Storm Cindy heads toward the Gulf Coast states.
According to the National Hurricane Center, it is expected that the Cindy approaches the southwest coast of Louisiana and the southeast of Texas later today or tonight, and move inland over southeast Texas or southwest Louisiana on Thursday.
Maximum sustained winds are about 60 mph with higher wind speeds. Little change in intensity is expected today. According to CNN, Cindy could bring up to 12 inches of rain to some areas between Texas and Louisiana between Wednesday and Thursday morning.
The Weather Channel is reporting that satellite and radar imagery shows shower and thunderstorm activity along the Gulf Coast. That stormy weather is located mainly to the north and east of the low-pressure center, which is over 150 miles south of Morgan City, LA, according to that report.
A high risk of rip currents, high surf and some coastal flooding are also expected along parts of the Gulf Coast, according to The Weather Channel.
Tropical Storm Cindy has already resulted in adjustments to two cruise ship schedules. Two Carnival Cruise Line vessels are the first impacted. They’ll call at the two Western Caribbean ports scheduled for these cruises -- Progreso and Cozumel, Mexico -- but in a different order. The new schedules are as follows:
Sailing roundtrip from Galveston last Saturday, Carnival Valor spent Monday in Progreso, Mexico and Tuesday in Cozumel, Mexico. It will return to Galveston on Thursday. Departing from New Orleans Monday evening, Carnival Triumph now has plans to visit Progreso today and Cozumel on Thursday. It is expected to return to New Orleans Saturday, as planned.
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