Tropical Storm Bill: Expected Landfall In Texas Forces Schools To Cancel Classes In Houston-Galveston Area

Tropical Storm Bill, which formed in the Gulf of Mexico, is expected to make landfall in Texas by Tuesday morning and could bring heavy rainfall in the eastern part of the state. Several schools in Galveston and southern Houston suburbs canceled classes for Tuesday amid fears of worsening weather in flood-hit Texas, which could receive up to 10 inches of rain.

Bill was centered about 160 miles east-southeast of Port O'Connor, Texas, and about 155 miles south-southeast of Galveston, Texas, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami said on Monday night. It is expected to move inland over south-central Texas by Tuesday night. A tropical storm warning is in effect for the coast of Texas from Baffin Bay to High Island. Bill had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph and was moving northwest. The storm comes as Texas recovers from record rainfall in May that triggered floods, killing at least 23 people.

The tropical storm could slightly strengthen before landfall but it is expected to weaken after moving over land, according to NHC.

"Any additional rainfall will exacerbate already saturated grounds, which could quickly lead to dangerous flash flooding and extended river flooding," Texas Gov. Greg Abbott reportedly said on Monday, adding that a state operations center is on alert for the storm.

The storm system is also reportedly expected to dump 4 to 8 inches of rainfall in Oklahoma, while western Louisiana and Arkansas could see up to 4 inches of rain.

"While high winds and even tornadoes are possible, already wet grounds mean that even a moderate amount of rain will likely cause street flooding," Harris County Emergency Management stated, according to CNN. "Bayous and rivers could go out of banks quickly creating a serious threat to life and property."

Authorities in Dallas were urged to activate the city's Emergency Operations Center on Tuesday after forecasters predicted potential rainfall of 7 to 10 inches from Tuesday night through Thursday morning. The streets and highways in the city that were closed during the Memorial Day flooding are expected to be closed again, the Associated Press reported.