One Killed as Storm Cindy Makes Landfall in Southern U.S.

At least one death was blamed on Tropical Storm Cindy as it made landfall on U.S. soil in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday.

The Miami-based National Hurricane Center reported that Cindy hit the coast of southwestern Louisiana and eastern Texas at around 0900 GMT, packing winds nearing 40 miles (65 kilometers) per hour.

Tropical storm-force winds were reaching up to 70 miles (110 kilometers) to the southeast and southwest of the center, the NHC said.

A 10-year-old boy was killed Wednesday in a coastal Alabama town when he was struck by a log thrown by a huge wave in a storm surge caused by Cindy, local media reported.

The boy was with his family visiting from Missouri and was staying at a waterfront home, the New Orleans Times-Picayune newspaper reported.

Cindy is forecast to drop between 3-6 inches (7.5-15 centimeters) of rain, "with isolated maximum amounts up to 12 inches (30 centimeters)" over parts of Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas through Friday.

"This rainfall could cause life-threatening flash flooding in these areas," the NHC warned.

The storm mostly passed west of New Orleans, which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Cindy is expected to weaken as it marches overland towards the northeast, but is still expected to produce heavy rain across the region.

It could also spawn tornadoes, the NHC warned.