The US National Hurricane Center says that Harvey has intensified into a dangerous category four storm, exceeding previous projections shortly before making landfall.
With winds of up to 130 miles per hour, Harvey was due to slam into land near Corpus Christi, Texas, around 9 p.m. CDT (0200 GMT) and bring three feet of rain in areas of the Texas coast and parts of Louisiana.
Bringing 12-foot ocean surges, the storm is the most powerful one in over a decade that bore down on the mainland United States.
Fueled by warm Gulf of Mexico waters, Harvey grew from a Category 1 early in the Friday morning to a Category 4 by the evening.
The last Category 4 storm in the US was Charlie that hit Florida in 2004, while the last Category 4 storm to hit Texas was Carla in 1961.
“The tropical storm force winds have already commenced on the Gulf Coast,” said National Hurricane Center spokesman and meteorologist Dennis Feltgen. “You’ve essentially run…