By Kevin Byrne, AccuWeather staff writer
August 25,2017, 11:38:35PM,EDT
Hurricane Harvey made landfall as a major hurricane between Port Aransas and Port O'Connor, Texas early on Friday night and will continue to batter the Gulf Coast throughout the weekend.
The storm is expected to bring catastrophic and life-threatening flooding as widespread rainfall amounts of 10-20 inches are expected. Some locations could exceed 2 feet of rain.With days of rain ahead and the soil becoming oversaturated, trees may be more susceptible to being downed. Falling trees could lead to power outages and may prevent crews from restoring power.
Mandatory evacuations have been ordered throughout southern Texas and parts of Louisiana. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott declared a state of emergency on Wednesday for 30 counties. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards issued a statewide state of emergency on Thursday.
RELATED:
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10:30 p.m. CDT Friday: There uncomfirmed reports of injuries as Rockport High School collapsing due to high winds. Waiting for further information.
Corpus Christi has issued a boil water notice for the area as Harvey continues to rage.
10:00 p.m. CDT Friday: Hurricane Harvey has made landfall between Port Aransas and Port O'Connor, Texas with sustained winds of 130 mph.
Harvey is the first category 4 hurricane to make landfall in Texas since Hurricane Carla in 1961.
9:50 p.m. CDT Friday: Several buildings have collapsed in Rockport, Texas with people trapped inside, emergency managers report.
The eye of Harvey is beginning to move over Rockport, allowing winds to temporarily decrease. However, winds will pick up once the eye wall moves back over the town.
9:00 p.m. CDT Friday: President Donald Trump signed a disaster proclamation early on Friday night which will allow financial assistance and emergency services to areas impacted by the hurricane.
8:00 p.m. CDT Friday: The outer part of Harvey's eye is beginning to move onshore. Landfall is likely to occur near Rockport, Texas early tonight.
The National Weather Service office in Corpus Christi has closed their hurricane shutters in final preprerations for the landfall of Harvey.
7:20 p.m. CDT Friday: Wind damage is starting to become more widespread along the coast of Texas as the eye of Harvey nears land.
Winds have gusted past 100 mph at Aransas Pass, Texas with higher gusts likely in the coming hours.
6:00 p.m. CDT Friday: Harvey has been upgraded to a category 4 hurricane just hours before making landfall near Corpus Christi, Texas.
Sustained winds are 130 mph with the center of the eye of the storm just 45 miles east of Corpus Christi.
If Harvey makes landfall as a category 4 hurricane, it would be the first to do so since Hurricane Charley in 2004.
5:15 p.m. CDT Friday: An extreme wind warning has been issued for areas just north of Corpus Christi, Texas. People in the area of the high wind warning are urged to treat these winds as if there were a tornado approaching.
The extreme wind warning includes southwestern Calhoun County, Aransas County, east-central Nueces County, eastern San Patricio country and central Refugio County.
Corpus Christi police have been ordered to stop responding to emergency calls until conditions improve. The eye of Harvey just several miles east of the city.
5:00 p.m. CDT Friday: AccuWeather Extreme Meteorologist Reed Timmer has deployed his tornado probe in Rockport, Texas to collect weather data about Hurricane Harvey as it nears landfall.
4:15 p.m. CDT Friday: Tornado damage has been reported near Galveston, Texas by a National Weather Service trained spotter after a thunderstorm moved through the city. The storm was associated with a band of rain from Harvey.
According to the spotter, the tornado damaged a McDonald's sign at the intersection of Seawall Boulevard and Broadway Avenue.
3:45 p.m. CDT Friday: Nueces County has released a statement telling residents that the evacuation window has ended and it is now time to shelter in place. Emergency responders may not be able to access areas to help due to the strength of the storm.
“Widespread power outages and tree damage is expected, as well as damage to some structures. Power outages will probably last into next week in some areas,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Alyson Hoegg said.
Other utilities such as cell phone reception may also be impacted by the storm and may not be fixed for several days.
3:09 p.m. CDT Friday: With Harvey poised to become the first major hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. since 2005, here is a look at some of the risks that it poses.
2:00 p.m. CDT Friday: Harvey is now a category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 120 mph. Harvey is now considered a major hurricane and is on track to become the first major hurricane to make landfall in the United States since 2005.
"Similar winds with higher gusts are expected at landfall tonight, around midnight local time," AccuWeather Meteorologist Alyson Hoegg said.
"Landfall is expected to occur just to the east of Port Aransas, Texas over San Jose Island," Hoegg added.
A tornado watch has also been issued for part of the coast of Texas and Louisiana due to the threat of tornadoes and waterspouts associated with Harvey.
1:20 p.m. CDT Friday: Harvey remains a powerful category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of 110 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center in their 1 p.m. CDT advisory.
Perpetration for the storm should be rushed to completion as tropical storm conditions are occurring along part of the coast of Texas. Storm surge is also starting to inundate parts of the coast.
11:45 a.m. CDT Friday: Impacts from Harvey are already being felt across mainland Texas, as the outer rainbands are moving across the lower and middle Texas coasts.
Tropical-storm-force winds have been registered at the Corpus Christi Naval Air Station. The first tornado warnings were issued for central Matagorda County.
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