Harvey, a category 2 hurricane, is expected to reach the Texas coast as a Category 3 storm with at least 111mph (178 KMH) winds and up to 35 inches of rain.

Hurricane Harvey is getting stronger and could make landfall in the middle of the Texas coast as a Category 3 hurricane Friday night, the National Hurricane Center says, warning of the potential for a deadly storm surge and flooding along the Gulf of Mexico.

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The storm’s winds were rated at 80 mph around midday on Thursday — but they could reach 115 mph in the next 36 hours, forecasters say, announcing that the middle Texas coast is currently under a hurricane warning.

Harvey “intensified quickly” Thursday morning and could bring a storm surge of 6 to 10 feet above ground level; rainfall of 12 to 20 inches could bring floods, with some areas getting as much as 30 inches of water from Friday into next week, the National Weather Service agency said in an advisory Thursday morning.”