The first named storm in the Gulf of Mexico is here, and it’s headed towards East Texas.

Barry reached tropical storm strength early Thursday and could become a Category 1 hurricane by early Saturday.

The forecast from the National Hurricane Center indicates the storm's center of circulation will stay east of East Texas, however, we could still see some gusty winds and heavy rainfall from the storm. The storm is expected to make landfall early Saturday south of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. From there it’s set to move north through Louisiana and Arkansas.

When talking impacts here in East Texas, the biggest is likely to be heavy rain. However, a small shift in the storm’s path could mean little rain for us. The line between heavy rain and no rain is very small. Some forecast models hint at 2 to 3 inches of rain, while others are as high as 4 to 5. Most of the rain is likely to fall on Sunday, but it could start as early as later Friday.

On top of heavy rain, there could be some gusty winds as well. According to the forecast from the National Hurricane Center, parts of East Texas stand a 30 percent chance to see tropical-storm-force winds. Not all that high, but wind gusts could exceed those levels. The worst of the impacts from this storm are expected in eastern Louisiana and Mississippi.

Barry is the second named storm of the 2019 Atlantic Hurricane Season. Subtropical Storm Andrea formed May 20th and lasted one day, but was well out in the Atlantic Ocean. Barry is set to be the first storm of the season that will impact the mainland U.S.

More From 107-3 KISS-FM