HARVEY CLOSING IN ON TEXAS COAST

  

Former Tropical Storm Harvey has re-strengthened 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 this afternoon (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.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott declared a state of disaster for 30 counties in Texas in anticipation of the landfall of Harvey.

The declaration includes: Austin, Colorado, Fayette, and Waller counties, locally.

Rain accumulations of 10 to 15 inches are expected over the middle and upper Texas coast and southwest Louisiana through next Tuesday. The center 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. this afternoon (Wednesday), Harvey was located 470 miles southeast of Port Mansfield. It was moving northwest at about 9 mph and had maximum sustained winds of 35 mph.