CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) — The Latest on Hurricane Harvey (all times local):
1:15 p.m.
At least two cities along the Texas Gulf Coast are ordering mandatory evacuations as Hurricane Harvey approaches the coastline.
The cities of Port Aransas and Aransas Pass issued evacuation orders Thursday, hours before forecasters expect heavy winds and rain from the storm to begin. Together, the towns are home to around 12,000 people, located next to the Gulf of Mexico.
Aransas Pass police have warned residents that rescuers may not be able to reach them during the storm.
Authorities have placed nearly the entire Texas Gulf Coast under a hurricane or tropical storm watch. Other cities and towns along the 367-mile (591-kilometer) coastline have urged residents to prepare their homes for a storm that could stall inland for as many as three days.
12:15 p.m.
The National Hurricane Center says Tropical Storm Harvey is now Hurricane Harvey and is forecasting it will become a major hurricane to hit the middle Texas coastline.
Sustained winds have reached 80 mph (129 kph). A major hurricane means winds greater than 110 mph (177 kph).
Forecasters said a "life-threatening" storm surge along with rains and wind were likely as Harvey was intensifying faster than previously forecast.
Landfall was expected late Friday between Port O'Connor and Matagorda Bay, a 30-mile (48-kilometer) stretch of coastline about 70 miles (110 kilometers) northeast of Corpus Christi.
The hurricane center says it's possible the storm then could just stall inland for as many as three days, exasperating the threat of severe flooding.
The last major hurricane to hit Texas was Ike, in September 2008. It brought winds of 110 mph (177 kph) in the Galveston and Houston areas and left damages of $22 billion.
11:50 a.m.
A hurricane warning issued along Texas' coast spans a region home to roughly 1.4 million people.
The warning was issued Thursday after Tropical Storm Harvey regained strength while drifting into the Gulf of Mexico. The storm is expected to make landfall late Friday or early Saturday.
The storm has placed nearly the entire 367-mile (591-kilometer) Texas Gulf Coast under a hurricane or tropical storm warning or watch.
Of the people in 16 counties under a hurricane warning, about 325,000 of them are in Corpus Christi. Another 12 million people are under a tropical storm warning, including San Antonio and Houston.
Numerous cities have been bringing in sandbags, extra water and other items ahead of the storm.
9:10 a.m.
Long lines are forming at grocery stores as Texas Gulf Coast residents prepare for a slow-moving tropical storm expected to drop as many as 20 inches of rain.
A hurricane warning was issued Thursday morning for most of the central and southern Texas coast, after Tropical Storm Harvey regained strength while drifting into the Gulf of Mexico.
The storm is expected to make landfall late Friday or early Saturday.
The National Weather Service says it's been 14 years since a hurricane made landfall along the southern portion of the Texas coast.
Forecasters say 10 to 15 inches of rain could fall between Friday and Tuesday in most area, with higher amounts in some places.
6:10 a.m.
A hurricane warning has been issued for a section of Texas' Gulf Coast as Tropical Storm Harvey approaches.
The warning, issued Thursday morning, covers an area from Port Mansfield to Matagorda.
The storm's maximum sustained winds are near 45 mph (75 kph) but the U.S. National Hurricane Center says Harvey is expected to strengthen to a hurricane by Friday, when it's expected to approach the southern Texas coast.
As of 5 a.m. EDT, the storm was centered about 370 miles (595 kilometers) southeast of Port Mansfield and was moving north near 10 mph (17 kph).
2:45 a.m.
Harvey has regained tropical storm strength as it drifts in the Gulf of Mexico toward Texas and forecasters say it could become a hurricane.
By early Thursday, the storm's maximum sustained winds had increased to near 45 mph (70 kph). The U.S. National Hurricane Center says additional strengthening is expected and Harvey could become a hurricane on Friday.
The tropical storm is centered about 410 miles (660 kilometers) southeast of Port Mansfield, Texas, and is moving northwest near 7 mph (11 kph).
In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered the State Operations Center to elevate its readiness level, making state resources available for possible rescue and recovery actions. Abbott also pre-emptively declared a state of disaster for 30 counties on or near the coast to speed deployment of state resources.
