(RNN) - Tropical Storm Cindy is lashing the Gulf Coast with heavy rains as it approaches landfall near the Texas-Louisiana state line.
Cindy was located 65 miles south-southwest of Lake Charles, LA, and 50 miles south-southeast of Port Arthur, TX, at 1 a.m. CT Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center. It has maximum sustained winds of 45 mph, and is moving north-northwest at 7 mph.
A state of emergency was declared in Alabama and Louisiana Wednesday.
The storm claimed the life of a 10-year-old boy in Fort Morgan, AL. The boy was playing with a large log in the surf when a strong wave slammed the log into his head, causing severe facial injuries and crushing his skull, WKRG reported. The family, from Missouri, was vacationing in the area.
Cindy is expected to lose strength after landfall.
A tropical storm warning is in effect from San Luis Pass, TX, to Grand Isle, LA.
The high waves generated by Cindy prompted a distress call from a sinking shrimp trawler about 80 miles off the coast of Galveston early Wednesday. The Coast Guard lowered a dewatering pump to help pump out the boat and then escorted it safely back to Freeport, TX.
A waterspout came ashore in Biloxi, MS. The area experienced flooding and about 300 road closures, WLOX reported. Tornado warnings were also issued for Hancock County, MS.
Check out what Tropical Storm Cindy churned up in the Mississippi Sound @WLOX @WesWilliamsII @AndrewWilsonWX pic.twitter.com/h6OaRzPBp7
— Brad Kessie (@BradWLOX) June 21, 2017
JUST IN: Neighbors tell us the wind blew some sort of debris onto a child causing injuries in Ft. Morgan..emergency crews are on scene #WBRC pic.twitter.com/owPfq2hQif
— Josh Gauntt (@joshg_TV) June 21, 2017
The storm’s effects will be felt along a long swath of the coast because the storm is disorganized.
Spots from Louisiana west to the Florida Panhandle experienced flooding Wednesday as bands of storms made their way onshore.
Cindy is expected to produce rainfall totals of 6 to 9 inches from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle, with some spots getting as much as 15 inches of rain. Life-threatening flash flooding may occur.
The storm brings strong winds over the eastern part of the warning area, with storm surges of 1 to 3 feet and some tornadoes.
A potential tornado was reported in Fort Walton Beach in southern Okaloosa County. FL, which is not under a tropical storm warning. The city experienced downed trees and power lines.
People Arkansas and into portions of the Tennessee and Ohio Valleys should prepare for soaking rains Friday, with accumulations of 3 to 5 inches expected, as well as locally higher amounts possible in isolated areas.
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