Meteorologists are forecasting that the storm could be a Category 3 “major hurricane” when it makes landfall late Friday or early Saturday.
Tropical Storm Harvey rapidly intensified into a hurricane on Thursday as it hurtled toward Texas, with meteorologists forecasting that the storm could be a Category 3 “major hurricane” when it makes landfall late Friday or early Saturday.
No storm that strong has hit Texas since 2008.
Harvey is expected to stall after it hits land, dumping torrential rain over the southeast Texas region through Tuesday and causing potentially historic flooding, NBC News meteorologist Bill Karins said.
At 8 p.m. ET, Harvey was about 275 miles southeast of Corpus Christi, packing sustained winds of 85 mph, said the National Hurricane Center, which warned of “life-threatening and devastating flooding.”
Corpus Christi Mayor Joe McComb said no mandatory evacuations were in effect, but he urged residents in low-lying parts of the coastal city to leave.
“We are going to in the strongest possible terms encourage the residents in the low-lying areas, as they say, get out of Dodge, ” McComb said at a news conference.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott activated more than 700 members of the Texas Army and Air National Guards, the Texas State Guard and the Texas Military Department.
“This is what we train for, ” Brig. Gen. Patrick Hamilton, commander of the Domestic Operations Task Force, told NBC affiliate KPRC of Houston. “This is Texans helping Texans — neighbors helping neighbors.”
Dale Eck, head forecast operations for the Americas for The Weather Channel, said Harvey rapidly intensified overnight, saying, “I think the urgency of this just went up tenfold this morning.”
Eck said winds of 115 mph were expected, along with a “life-threatening storm surge” as it churns over the central Texas coast.
Related: Hurricane Harvey Rainfall Poses Danger to Ill-Prepared New Orleans
As of Thursday night, the National Hurricane Center had issued storm surge warnings from Port Mansfield to High Island in Texas, with storm surge watches in effect for south of Port Mansfield to the mouth of the Rio Grande and hurricane warnings in effect from Port Mansfield to Sargent.
Parts of central to southeast Texas could see up to 10 inches of rain, but some of the hardest-hit areas could get 2 feet or more, said Eck. Freshwater flooding was expected to threaten the coast and parts of Houston and San Antonio and then spread up into parts of southwest Louisiana. New Orleans could get up to 5 inches of rain, he added.
The hurricane center said Thursday evening that up to 35 inches of rain was possible over southeast Texas through Wednesday of next week. It warned Texans to get ready for Harvey on Thursday, as winds could be too strong for preparations on Friday.
Eck said that the storm could potentially be a “huge challenge” for emergency management officials and that evacuations could be expected.
“This thing is rapidly increasing in such a way that it could be devastating for anyone along the coast, ” he said. “The challenge is how far do you go if you can go inland? You could go to San Antonio, and you could have flooding there from the copious amounts of rain.”
Homeland Security Adviser Tom Bossert briefed President Donald Trump on the hurricane’s progress and preparations for its landing, a national security official said Thursday afternoon.
Bossert has been in contact with the acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke and Brock Long, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and other federal partners were prepared to assist state and local responders as needed, the official said.
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Abbott on Wednesday declared a state of disaster in 30 counties: Aransas, Austin, Bee, Calhoun, Chambers, Colorado, Brazoria, DeWitt, Fayette, Fort Bend, Galveston, Goliad, Gonzales, Harris, Jackson, Jefferson, Jim Wells, Karnes, Kleberg, Lavaca, Liberty, Live Oak, Matagorda, Nueces, Refugio, San Patricio, Victoria, Waller, Wharton and Wilson.
Texas officials issued a mandatory evacuation order for the city of Aransas Pass, as well as San Patricio County. Meanwhile, a mandatory evacuation was also issued for Portland, Texas, and parts of Brazoria County on the Gulf Coast.
Abbott also ordered the State Operations Center to elevate its readiness level and made state resources available for preparation and rescue and recovery efforts.
