HOUSTON -- Tropical Storm Edouard strengthened Monday night as it churned in the Gulf of Mexico and took aim on the Galveston area for a Tuesday landfall, KPRC Local 2 reported.

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At 10 p.m., the center of Edouard was 160 miles east-southeast of Galveston with maximum sustained winds near 60 mph. It was located at 28.7 north, 92.2 west moving west-northwest near 8 mph. Tropical storm-force winds extend outward up to 70 miles from the center of the storm.

A hurricane watch was issued from Port O'Connor to Intracoastal City, La., and a tropical storm warning was issued from Port O'Connor to Grand Isle, La.

A tropical storm warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected within the next 24 hours and a hurricane watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within the next 36 hours.

A flash flood watch has also been issued for Brazoria, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, Waller and Wharton counties through Tuesday afternoon. A flash flood watch means rapidly rising water or flooding is possible.

Edouard is expected to get stronger and better organized as it gets closer to the Texas coast.

"There is 85, 86-degree water in the Gulf, so it's plenty warm for more intensification of this system," KPRC Local 2 chief meteorologist Frank Billingsley said. "Edouard is expected to have 70 mph winds Tuesday morning as this system starts to make landfall right in the Galveston area, maybe a little south, maybe a little north. The cone of uncertainty covers the upper southeast Texas coast."

Edouard's eye is expected to make landfall at about noon on Tuesday.

"But the effects will be felt way before that -- 7, 8 o'clock Tuesday morning," Billingsley said.

"I think we can take it to the bank that it's going to hit somewhere in southeast Texas -- Port O'Connor all the way out to Sabine Pass," KPRC Local 2 meteorologist Anthony Yanez said. "It really looks like the center of this wants to be a lot closer to Galveston. I think it's going to be pretty bad out there starting late tonight all the way into Tuesday evening."

The storm is expected to dump 3-5 inches of rain across the area, and some areas could see up to 10 inches. Winds at speeds of 50-70 mph are a possibility at the coast.

"Whether it makes landfall as a tropical storm or hurricane, it looks like it's going to stay tropical storm strength all the way up to around Tomball, Jersey Village and also The Woodlands, depending if that's the track it takes," Yanez said.

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Videos:
Galveston Braces For Edouard: Phil Archer Reports
Galveston Homes Prepare For Storm Surge: Robert Arnold Reports
Mayor, Judge Update Citizens On Preparations
Harris County Helps Residents Get Prepared: Courtney Zavala Reports
Storm Supplies Fly Off Store Shelves: Mary Benton Reports
National Guard Stands By To Help: Elizabeth Scarborough Reports

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"This is capable of producing some very heavy rain as it moves through. It's impossible to predict where feeder bands will start to form and where they will affect. It's anybody's ballgame," Billingsley said. "Everyone is going to see some rain out of this as it continues to move our way -- some more than others."

Yanez said the dangers of a tropical storm or hurricane do not end immediately after it passes through an area.

"With tropical storms, with category 1 hurricanes, the danger isn't when they make landfall," Yanez said. "The danger is afterwards with those downed power lines and also the weak trees that are uprooted. A lot of those branches get weak and you go outside to pick up your yard and have a branch fall on you. That's very dangerous. Even though it's making landfall Tuesday morning, I want everyone to be careful the entire day just because of those leftover problems."

Gov. Rick Perry issued a disaster declaration for 17 southeast Texas counties in response to the imminent threat posed by Tropical Storm Edouard.

Perry also mobilized up to 1,200 National Guard troops.

Galveston, Harris County Prepare For Edouard

The city of Galveston opened its emergency operations center early Monday and declared a state of emergency in the afternoon.

Galveston Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas asked residents to be prepared but said an evacuation has not been called.

"We do expect to have some power outages, some flooding on the west end and some wind," she said. "I would ask our residents to please remove lawn furniture, umbrellas, wood -- anything that's not tied down -- please secure it. They can become battering rams and do an awful lot of damage to your property and to your neighbor's property. And please get your trash cans out of the way, as well."

Officials warned tourists and residents to prepare for at least six inches of rain, 80 mph wind gusts and a 5-foot storm surge.

Galveston Beach patrol officials sent out an alert for people who plan to spend time in the water.

"Please stay very far away from these rock jetties," spokesman Peter Davis said. "We're going to have a lot of rip currents and deep holes. That's going to be our trouble areas."

Galveston beaches were open Monday, but the lifeguard stands were removed.

"Residents on the west end need to pay very strict attention to the tides," Thomas said. "I would suggest that they consider leaving the west end at some point before the roads flood. This is not a call for any kind of evacuation. It's simply a suggestion from the mayor to keep an eye on the weather, and eye on the tides and use your own judgment."

"My concern is the surge of those waves because I've seen them fairly high down there on the seawall," Galveston resident Evangeline Robinson said. "I want to make sure I have everything boarded up; make sure I'm prepared."

The city of Galveston closed most city offices and canceled city services for Tuesday. All public transportation was suspended for Tuesday.

Harris County officials are also keeping a close eye on the storm.

"It started here and it's just going to be a very short, semi-powerful punch," Harris County Judge Ed Emmett said. "By all means, pay attention. I would encourage employers to give serious consideration to giving employees a little slack. If you can change your plans for tomorrow and stay inside, do that."

Emmett said everyone should use common sense during the storm.

"The normal underpasses that flood are going to flood again," he said. "Don't drive into high water. Prepare to lose power. Understand that with high winds you're going to have trees down, those go over the power lines. If you have things in your freezer you need to protect, do that. Just plan to hunker down for 24 hours or so starting tonight around midnight."

"Houston is prepared," Mayor Bill White said. "The city of Houston, for most of our functions and city government, is going to be closed and we've given directives to the employees that only those classified as essential personnel will be showing up."

Jury duty has been canceled for Harris County courts on Tuesday.

"We will have regular trash pickup Tuesday. We've got to get the stuff out of the way as soon as we can, as quickly as we can," White said. "Get those trash cans back in a secure place. Secure those things which can be secured which may be in your yard. Don't have flying debris."

The city will have additional crews on hand for emergencies, including 10 evacuation boats, eight rescue boats, and Houston Fire Department ladder trucks will be equipped with chainsaws to remove debris as needed.

Houstonians packed into grocery stores to get water, batteries, flashlights and non-perishable food.

HEB grocery stores trucked in extra loads of water Monday.

"We want to be 100 percent in stock so customers can feel confident that they can come to their local HEB store and get the items that they're looking for," said Donna Therlot, manager of an HEB store.

Shell Oil evacuated about 40 of their workers from its offshore platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.

"We started evacuations at 4 a.m. and most of the people are coming in on a boat because it was calm," rig worker Dean Ramage said. "The rest of us, the people that shut the rig down, came in on a helicopter."

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