(0100 UTC on July 21) which was affected by an inverted trough as they turned westward. The system's circulation remained indistinct until July 23 as winds of 22–30 knots consorted with squalls adjacent to the coasts of Louisiana and Texas. The storm attained tropical characteristics near 0000 UTC while situated south of Louisiana and was subsequently designated a tropical depression. Ship communications off the coast on July 24 relayed winds of 23–50 knots and a barometric pressure of 1007.5 mbar (29.75 inHg), which indicated it was a tropical storm on the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale. Radar imagery taken near 0733 CST (1333 UTC) from a Dow Chemical plant in Freeport, Texas evidenced that Debra was a full-fledged Category 1 hurricane on the scale, with a prominent spiral appearance that was not perceived by the radar the previous afternoon. As the result of a polar trough aloft in the central United States, Debra curved northward though its winds shifted southward, defying the earlier prediction of a bend west-northwest to northwest. A reconnaissance flight determined the location of its center during the mid-morning, and the hurricane made landfall near its peak intensity between Freeport and Galveston, Texas during the evening of July 24 local time (0000 UTC on July 25). It rapidly weakened on July 26 while it arched west-northwest, though it maintained tropical characteristics until its dissipation on July 28 over central Oklahoma while the system progressed north-northwestward. As it moved inland, moisture along its eastern fringe converged with a front to its northeast, causing heavy rains that were confined to limited areas in northeast Louisiana and southern Arkansas; they eventually traversed east-northeastward over northern Mississippi, Tennessee, and Kentucky. Moisture and instability from Debra led to high-level thunderstorms in Montana and northern Idaho on July 31 and August 1. Hurricane Debra's development near the coast was unusual, complicating forecasting in addition to its rapid intensification and abnormal direction. The lack of ship reports and incorrect information received from those that were received further complicated Debra's forecasts. However, due to its formation close to the coast, Debra had inadequate time to cause a greater storm surge. Debra's floods accounted for most of the month's rainfall. Preparations The Weather Bureau in New Orleans, Louisiana issued small craft warnings at 1230 UTC on July 24 stretching from Port O'Connor to High Island, Texas, while "whole gale warnings" were posted from Port O'Connor to Matagorda, Texas