Tropical Storm Edouard formed near a major oil and gas producing area of the northern Gulf of Mexico on Sunday. It is the fifth tropical storm of this year’s Atlantic hurricane season according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center.

Edouard was located around 80 miles southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River by 11 p.m. EDT and will most likely reach the Texas coast and make landfall at close to hurricane strength in a few days according to the forecasts made by the hurricane center. To become a hurricane, Edouard’s winds must exceed 74 miles per hour (119 km per hour). It looks like Edouard will top out at 69 mph (111 kph). The tropical storm could pour down between 2 to 4 inches in coastal Louisiana. About 3 to 5 inches was possible in southeast Texas, with isolated amounts up to 8 inches.

Authorities issued and extended a tropical storm warning westward from the Mississippi River to Cameron, Louisiana. The warning means that hurricane conditions are possible from Edouard within the next 24 hours from Intracoastal City, La., to Port O'Connor, Tex.

At the time of the last measurements, Edouard's top sustained winds were near 50 mph (85 kph). The powerful storm is directly threatening U.S. offshore oil production and Gulf Coast refineries.

The companies drilling for oil in that area are currently working to strengthen platforms in order to withstand hurricane-force winds. Texas authorities already began preparing for the hurricane winds and have been activating emergency teams Sunday afternoon, including calling up 1,200 Texas military forces and six UH-60 helicopters, the State Operations Center said. This happens while the victims farther down the Texas coast are still cleaning up the damage from Hurricane Dolly, which hit last month.