Harvey continued to intensify as it steered for the Texas coast, with the forecasters saying early Friday that it had strengthened to a Category 2 storm.The hurricane with the potential for up to 3 feet of rain, 125 mph winds and 12-foot storm surges could be the fiercest such storm to hit the United States in almost a dozen years. Forecasters labeled Harvey a "life-threatening storm" that posed a "grave risk" as millions of people braced for a prolonged battering that could swamp dozens of counties more than 100 miles inland.Landfall was predicted for late Friday or early Saturday between Port O'Connor and Matagorda Bay, a 30-mile (48-kilometer) stretch of coastline about 70 miles (110 kilometers) northeast of Corpus Christi.Harvey grew quickly Thursday from a tropical depression into a Category 1 hurricane. Early Friday, the National Hurricane Center reported it had become a Category 2 hurricane. Fueled by warm Gulf of Mexico waters, it was projected to become a major Category 3 hurricane.The last storm of that category to hit the U.S. was Hurricane Wilma in October 2005 in Florida.Superstorm Sandy, which pummeled New York and New Jersey in 2012, never had the high winds and had lost tropical status by the time it struck. But it was devastating without formally being called a major hurricane."We're forecasting continuing intensification right up until landfall," National Hurricane Center spokesman Dennis Feltgen said.All seven Texas counties on the coast from Corpus Christi to the western end of Galveston Island have ordered mandatory evacuations of tens of thousands of residents from all low-lying areas. In four of those counties, officials ordered their entire county evacuated and warned those who stayed behind that no one could be guaranteed rescue.Voluntary evacuations have been urged for Corpus Christi itself and for the Bolivar Peninsula, a sand spit near Galveston where many homes were washed away by the storm surge of Hurricane Ike in 2008.Texas officials expressed concern that not as many people are evacuating compared with previous storms."A lot of people are taking this storm for granted thinking it may not pose much of a danger to them," Gov. Greg Abbott told Houston television station KPRC. "Please heed warnings and evacuate as soon as possible."Abbott has activated about 700 members of the state National Guard ahead of Hurricane Harvey making landfall.As of 4 a.m. CDT Friday, Harvey was centered about 180 miles (290 kilometers) southeast of Corpus Christi and was moving northwest near 9 mph (15 kph) with maximum sustained winds near 105 mph (165 kph).Harvey's effect would be broad. The hurricane center said storm surges as much as 3 feet could be expected as far north as Morgan City, Louisiana, some 400 miles away from the anticipated landfall.And once it comes ashore, the storm is expected to stall, dumping copious amounts of rain for days in areas like flood-prone Houston, the nation's fourth most-populous city, and San Antonio.State transportation officials were considering when to turn all evacuation routes from coastal areas into one-way traffic arteries headed inland. John Barton, a former deputy executive director of the Texas Department of Transportation, predicted state officials will do this before the storm hits, but said timing and determining where to use it are the key factors. Storms change paths and if contraflow starts too early, supplies such as extra gasoline needed to support impacted areas can't get in, he said.This would be the first hurricane for Bethany Martinez, who is pregnant and has two boys, 5 and 6, who were with grandparents in Austin. Asked about her demeanor, Martinez replied: "Afraid."She's a front desk clerk at a Holiday Inn Express at Port Aransas. "We are closing down," Martinez said of the 74-room hotel a couple of blocks from the Gulf of Mexico. It was about two-thirds full before all guests were cleared out.Driscoll Children's Hospital in Corpus Christi was airlifting at least 10 critically ill, mostly premature infants from its neonatal intensive care unit to Cook Children's Hospital in Fort Worth. They were expected to arrive by early Friday. Cook transport director Debbie Boudreaux said the infants were being moved inland for fear that power outages might disable their ventilators.Harvey would be the first significant hurricane to hit Texas since Ike in September 2008 brought winds of 110 mph (177 kph) to the Galveston and Houston areas and inflicted $22 billion in damage. It would be the first big storm along the middle Texas coast since Hurricane Claudette in 2003 caused $180 million in damage.It's taking aim at the same vicinity as Hurricane Carla, the largest Texas hurricane on record. Carla came ashore in 1961 with wind gusts estimated at 175 mph and inflicted more than $300 million in damage. The storm killed 34 people and forced about 250,000 people to evacuate.White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said President Donald Trump was "briefed and will continue to be updated as the storm progresses."In Houston, one of the nation's most flood-prone cities, Bill Pennington prepared his one-story home for what he expected would be its third invasion of floodwaters in as many years and the fifth since 1983."We know how to handle it. We'll handle it again," Pennington said he told his nervous 9-year-old son.Dozens were in lines Thursday at a Corpus Christi Sam's Club, at home improvement stores and supermarkets. Alex Garcia bought bottled water, bread and other basics in the Houston suburb of Sugar Land after dropping his daughter off at college. He said grocery items were likely more available in Houston than back home in Corpus Christi, where Garcia, a beer distributor salesman, said stores were "crazy.""We'll be selling lots of beer," he laughed.In Galveston, where a 1900 hurricane went down as the worst in U.S. history, City Manager Brian Maxwell said he was anticipating street flooding and higher-than-normal tides."Obviously being on an island, everybody around here is kind of used to it."</s>HALIFAX — Although Hurricane Harvey isn't expected to have much of an impact on Canada, forecasters are warning of another potentially powerful storm that could blow through eastern parts of the country next week.

Halifax meteorologist Jim Murtha said Harvey — which strengthened to a Category 2 storm as it steered toward the Texas coast on Friday — could bring some rainfall anywhere from southern Ontario to the Maritimes in several days.

But Murtha — who works out of the Canadian Hurricane Centre — says the bigger concern is another storm that could develop over the weekend off the east coast of Florida.

He says the system has the potential to be "quite a storm" and could bring heavy rainfall and strong winds to parts of Atlantic Canada mid-next week or beyond.

Murtha says the centre is hoping forecasts become clearer over the weekend.

He says if the storm forms and unfolds with tropical characteristics, the next name on the list in Irma.</s>(CNN) — 35 inches of rain, catastrophic flooding, and life-threatening storm surges. Those are the dire warnings along the Texas coast, hours ahead of the predicted landfall of Hurricane Harvey. 1.5 million people are under a hurricane warning and another 16 million under a tropical storm warning.

The outer bands of Harvey, announcing the storm’s impending landfall, lashing the Texas coast, with officials forecasting the worst.

“I would like to set expectations. Texas is about to have a very significant disaster,” stated Brock Long, FEMA Administrator.

According to the National Weather Service, the storm will make landfall around Corpus Christi and will strengthen as it gets closer.

The NWS says parts of south Texas could be left uninhabitable for weeks or months.

Governor Greg Abbot advised Texans to be prepared and patient.

“This is a hurricane that will come inland, and then is prognosticated to just hover, for a long period of time. It could be days,” Gov. Greg Abbot said.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the President plans to travel to Texas early next week.</s>FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) – As of 7:00 a.m. on Thursday, Harvey is a tropical storm, but is rapidly intensifying and will likely become a hurricane by the end of the day. The storm is churning off to the north/northwest and is on track to make landfall by very early Saturday morning, somewhere in the Corpus Christi area.

Harvey will then slowly wander around the coast throughout the entire coming weekend before slowly moving east toward Louisiana by Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.

A few impacts to consider with Harvey:
• Hurricane-force wind gusts along the coast from Corpus Christi to Victoria and Port Lavaca (80-100 mph winds)
• Storm surge along a good portion of the Texas coast of 4-8 feet
• Widespread heavy rainfall across southeast Texas, 10-15 inches with some spots of more than 25 inches

This is looking more and more like a very significant storm for Texas — possibly as powerful as Ike, which hit back in 2008. There is also comparison to Tropical Storm Allison which hit the Houston area in 2001 and caused catastrophic flooding. No two storms are alike, but if those two are your analogs, it is not good news.

It is still too early to know exactly where the eye of Harvey will hit, or where the heaviest of the rain bands set up, but we should all remember not to just concentrate on where the eye ends up, because this will have widespread impacts across most of southeast Texas.

At this time, it appears as though most if not all of the rain will stay south of the DFW area. The southern counties of North Texas may see 2-4 inches of rain (Palestine, Fairfield, Corsicana), but that will pale in comparison to the coast. If Harvey drifts a little farther north, there could be more rain closer to DFW, but that solution is not seen as likely.

We will keep following it, of course.

Listen to the latest updates on 1080 KRLD.</s>An Air Force hurricane hunter aircraft has found former tropical storm Harvey hasn't gained new strength in recent hours as it crawls across the Gulf of Mexico toward Texas.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Wednesday that Harvey could regain tropical storm status in coming hours and become a hurricane Friday as it threatens to bring heavy rains to parts of Texas and southwestern Louisiana later in the week.

Harvey was at 8 p.m. EDT Wednesday about 460 miles (740 ) southeast of Port Mansfield, Texas, while moving to the northwest at 2 mph (4 kph), the said. The storm has top sustained winds of 35 mph (55 kph).

Forecasters warn that Harvey is expected to produce rainfall 10 to 15 inches (250-380 millimeters) and possibly up to 20 inches (500 millimeters) in isolated areas of middle and upper Texas and southwest Louisiana. It adds Harvey could cause life-threatening flooding and a dangerous storm surge along the coast.

A hurricane watch is in effect from Port Mansfield to San Luis Pass and a tropical storm watch is in effect from Boca de Catan in Mexico to Port Mansfield — as well as north of San Luis Pass to High Island, Texas.

Former Tropical Storm Harvey has restrengthened into a tropical depression forecast to dump heavy rains on the Gulf Coast and become a hurricane by the time it hits Texas on Friday. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Wednesday that Harvey is likely to intensify as it moves over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, and deliver heavy rain to parts of eastern Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Rain accumulations of 10 to 15 inches are expected over the middle and upper Texas coast and southwest Louisiana through next Tuesday. The has announced a hurricane watch for the Texas coast from north of San Luis Pass to High Island, and warns of possibly dangerous flooding.

At 1 p.m. EDT Wednesday, Harvey was located 470 miles (755 kms) southeast of Port Mansfield, Texas. It was moving northwest at about 9 mph (15 kph) and had maximum sustained winds of 35 mph (55 kph).</s>Home Depot (HD) and Lowe’s (LOW) have put emergency plans in motion before the arrival of Hurricane Harvey, which is heading toward the Texas coast.

Hurricane Harvey was upgraded from a tropical storm on Thursday afternoon, and the National Hurricane Center warned that it was rapidly building strength. Forecasters believe the storm will become a Category 3 hurricane by the time it makes landfall in Texas late Friday or early Saturday.

Local home-improvement retailers are making preparations to stock their shelves and keep stores open. Lowe’s, which has 90 stores in Hurricane Harvey’s projected path, activated its 24/7 emergency command center located in North Carolina. The company has begun shipping truckloads of bottled water to help customers affected by the storm, according to a Lowe’s spokesperson. Lowe’s also has truckloads of generators, flashlights, batteries and plywood heading to the area.

Both Lowe’s and Home Depot have backup generators in all of their stores, so they can open as soon as safely possible during power outages.

A Home Depot spokesperson told FOX Business that the retailer’s merchandising and supply-chain teams have working together to send supplies to the impact zone. Home Depot has a distribution center near Houston that stocks storm-related products in bulk, allowing supplies to quickly arrive in stores.

Shares of Home Depot and Lowe’s were down less than 1% on Thursday. Generac (GNRC), which makes generators, jumped 4.2%.</s>Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A, RDS.B), Anadarko Petroleum (NYSE:APC) and Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) say they are curbing some oil and gas production at facilities in the Gulf of Mexico and on the Texas Gulf coast in preparation for tropical storm Harvey.

As of 7 a.m., the NOAA measured tropical storm force winds at a maximum speed of ~60 mph, and the storm may strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane by the time it makes landfall near Corpus Christi on Friday.

The storm is expected to linger over the area for days, bringing a dangerous combination of rainfall and storm-surge flooding to areas near the Texas and Louisiana coasts into the weekend or early next week.

Crude oil prices are steady so far today after rising yesterday.</s>Harvey has been upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico with maximum sustained winds of 80mph. This storm is now forecast to make landfall on the Texas coast as a powerful hurricane bringing damaging winds, dangerous storm surge, and flooding rains. West Tennessee is a long ways away from any significant impacts but we’re watching for the potential for heavy rainfall in the Mid-South next week.

TONIGHT

 Skies will gradually become a little more cloudy overnight but conditions will remain dry. We’ll have temperatures drop to the middle and upper 50s and lower 60s again with low humidity for another September-like morning.

Winds will pick up tomorrow as skies become partly to mostly cloudy. Expect conditions to remain dry, but Harvey will bring hurricane-force winds to the Texas coast. As much as a foot of rain or more could fall in Texas along the Gulf Coast over the next week. West Tennessee won’t start to see any major impacts, other than cloudier skies, until next week. Because we’re so far away from that time period, the forecast could still change drastically. So stay tuned to WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News for the latest forecast, and stay with the VIPIR 7 Storm Team on-air and online for more updates!</s>Thousands are boarding up their homes and business and fleeing Texas ahead of Hurricane Harvey.

The monster storm has been upgraded to a Category 3 hurricane with 130mph winds, hours before it is due to slam into the Gulf of Mexico.

The National Weather Service was forced to add an extra colour to its rainfall chart, with up to 40 inches expected in some areas and a 12ft storm surge.

Experts have warned of "catastrophic" flooding as the Governor of Texas Greg Abbott urged people to evacuate.

"My urgent message to my fellow Texans is that if you live in a region where evacuation has been ordered, you need to heed that advice and get out of harm's way while you can," said Mr Abbott.

He added that Harvey is "turning into a very complex and dangerous hurricane" and that Texas faces "a very major disaster".

The storm, which has an eye around 28 miles wide, will be the first Category 3 strength hurricane to make landfall on US soil since 2005.

It is expected to hit the Gulf of Mexico coastline near the town of Corpus Christi late on Friday, before moving down into Louisiana.

There are question marks over the preparedness of cities in both states to deal with major flooding.

Houston, Dallas and San Antonio have expanded rapidly in the past decade, leading to increasing amounts of concrete which reduces drainage.

In New Orleans, recent storms revealed that the city's drainage pump system wasn't working properly.

Officials are now considering a full evacuation if major storm rainfall is predicted.

It is almost 12 years exactly since Hurricane Katrina, the costly natural disaster in US history, left at least 1,245 people dead.

If the meteorological predictions are worrying, the lack of preparation from the Trump administration is terrifying.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the most important body during a weather disaster, lost its director in January.

Like many key positions, it went unfilled for months after Donald Trump came into power.

Brock Long was only appointed at the end of June, well into hurricane season, and has already alarmed some by suggesting that states should pay more towards disaster relief and get less federal funding.

There is currently no head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the agency in charge of the National Hurricane Center.

In any case, Trump has already proposed drastic cuts to both agencies as part of his 'war on science'.

Ironically, the US President's message via Twitter was to "Plan ahead"

Meanwhile, the National Weather Service tweeted a warning: "Harvey is expected to be a major hurricane at landfall, bringing life-threatening storm surge, rainfall and wind hazards to portion of the Texas coast.

"Preparations to protect life and property should completed by tonight, as topical-storm force winds will first arrive in the hurricane and storm surge warning areas on Friday."

John Bel Edwards, the Governor of Louisiana, declared a state of emergency for the entire state on Thursday afternoon.

"All arms of the state’s emergency preparedness and response apparatus are planning for the serious threat posed by Hurricane Harvey, and we are calling on all Louisianans throughout the state to do so as well," said Gov. Edwards.

"I will continue to direct all of the necessary resources to preparing for the worst as we all pray for the best, but rest assured, state and local officials are working around the clock to monitor and respond to this potentially dangerous situation."</s>TEXAS — As heavy rain and gusty winds move in over Texas, coastal residents are deciding whether to flee their homes or to stay put and brace for a potentially life-threatening hurricane.

Hurricane Harvey is “dangerously approaching the Texas Coast” Friday and is expected to bring as many as 35 inches of rainfall, destructive waves and flood waters that could reach heights of 6-12 feet above ground level along the state’s coast, the National Hurricane Center said.

Forecasters say Harvey is on track to become a Category 3 hurricane with winds of at least 111 mph by the time it hits the middle Texas coast later Friday or early Saturday.

After hitting Corpus Christi, the storm is expected to stall over the state, forecasters say.

— Harvey strengthened early Friday, becoming a Category 2 hurricane with winds up to 105 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

— Isolated tornadoes are possible across portions of the middle and upper Texas coast on Friday, the service said.

— Texas Governor Greg Abbott has requested 700 National Guard members to be activated.

— The Ports of Corpus Christi and Galveston are closed.

— Three Galveston-based cruise ships in the Gulf of Mexico diverted to safer water.

‘I’m trying to be strong’

The threat of Harvey became evident Thursday when several counties on the Texas coast issued evacuation orders and an exodus of residents began.

Drivers sat bumper-to-bumper with highways backed up for miles.

Rose Yepez told CNN it took her twice as long as normal to drive from Corpus Christi to San Antonio. Yepez, who was traveling to the Texas Hill Country, said traffic was constantly slowing down and coming to a stop during the 140-mile drive.

A mix of cars and city buses taking groups of adults and children carrying backpacks with their belongings jammed the roads for hours.

“I’m shaking inside, but for them, I’m trying to be strong,” a Corpus Christi woman who was waiting with her two daughters to board a bus out of the city told CNN affiliate KRIS.

Ambulances stayed busy overnight while ten critically ill babies were evacuated from a Corpus Christi hospital, the Cook Children’s Hospital in Forth Worth said in a statement.

The babies boarded several medical flights to North Texas ahead of the storm, officials said.

Workers at 39 offshore petroleum production platforms and an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico were also evacuated Thursday, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said.

But first responders like Brittany Fowler have no other option than to stay behind and wait for the storm.

“Hopefully it doesn’t do any damage but if it does we’ve prepared,” Fowler, a firefighter in Corpus Christi, wrote on Instagram.

Her family helped by boarding up windows and doors at her home. She bought plenty of water, food and a small power generator.

Unlike Fowler, Corey Davis was free to go but opted to stay, even as Harvey’s winds started blowing Thursday night. Instead of packing, she and her family were climbing up a tall latter on the side of their Port O’Connor home securing plywood over windows.

“I’m scared so I’m doing everything that I can to protect (this) little place down here…” Davis told CNN affiliate KTRK. “And hope and pray for the best.”
Tropical depression Harvey becomes a hurricane, expected to make landfall on the Texas coast at Category 3, bringing life-threatening storm surge, rainfall, and wind hazards.