Tropical Storm Edouard hits Texas coast

HOUSTON-Tropical Storm Edouard plowed into a wildlife refuge on the upper Texas coast early on Tuesday, bringing driving rains and peak winds near 65 mph (100 kph) but leaving key energy installations mostly unscathed. Edouard, the fifth tropical storm of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season, was just below hurricane strength when it came ashore at the McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge, halfway between High Island and Sabine Pass, forecasters said.At 2 p.m. EDT, the storm was about 35 miles (56 km) east of Houston, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. A last-minute jog to the north took the storm away from Galveston and from a direct path across Houston.Instead the storm came ashore at the biggest freshwater marsh in Texas, a stopping point for migrating birds like snow geese.Edouard's peak winds fell to 50 mph (80 kph) and the storm was expected to become a tropical depression by early Wednesday, the Miami-based forecasters said. No deaths or injuries were reported.U.S. crude oil futures settled down $2.24 to $119.17 a barrel after tumbling to $118.00 earlier, the lowest price since May 5 as traders discounted the possibility of widespread disruptions from the storm.
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As in the days of Noah....