CORPUS CHRISTI – Less than 95 miles southeast of Corpus Christi, Hurricane Harvey is intensifying in the Gulf of Mexico as the city prepares just hours away of the storm’s landfall.
1 p.m. Friday Update#Harvey is still a Cat. 2 hurricane - just barely! It's 85 miles from Corpus Christi. #ksatwx pic.twitter.com/zC2JJygmGd
— Kaiti Blake (@KaitiBlake) August 25, 2017
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The National Weather Service center forecasts Hurricane Harvey to strengthen from a Category 2 to a Category 3 before making landfall, projected near Corpus Christi.
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KSAT-12’s Meteorologist Justin Horne and KSAT.com’s Chris Shadrock are in Corpus Christi reporting from the Storm Chaser, keeping residents there and in San Antonio informed about the effects of Hurricane Harvey.
SHUT DOWN: If folks needed anything from stores in #portland they're outta luck, everything looks closed. #harvey #ksatnews #ksatweather pic.twitter.com/PLJ9EJjZqS
— Chris Shadrock (@ChrisShadrock) August 25, 2017
In a tweet, Shadrock reports that a majority of the stores 10 miles north of Corpus Christi in Portland, Texas, look to be closed as businesses prepare for Hurricane Harvey's arrival.
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Hours before landfall, Horne met up with the staff of the United States Geological Survey as they installed storm surge sensors near Bayside, Texas.
Met up with USGS as they installed storm surge sensors near Bayside. Data will help us learn more. This area may be underwater by tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/ivNkh5rt0Y
— Justin Horne (@Justin_Horne) August 25, 2017
According to media outlets in Corpus Christi, businesses’ windows and doors are boarded up with wood panels with a majority of them closing before noon on Friday.
.@HEB is closing and #CorpusChristi at 10 AM in advance of #HurricaneHarvey #HarveyStorm pic.twitter.com/4R0OCUrwev
— Rachel Denny Clow (@CallerClow) August 25, 2017
According to callerdot.com's Matt Woolbright's tweet, Harvey’s surge near the Corpus Christi ship channel looks to be rising rapidly.
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“The water and the wall have basically become one. We’re expecting for this area to be under water shortly,” Woolbright said in a video sent out on his Twitter account.
Here's another look at the same area near the Corpus Christi ship channel from earlier. #Harvey surge is growing fast. pic.twitter.com/rLIJcITUKb
— Matt Woolbright (@reportermatt) August 25, 2017
In a tweet sent out by the National Weather Service center in Corpus Christi, the Bob Hall Pier reported a 51 mph wind gust with sustained winds of 36 mph.
1225 PM: Bob Hall Pier reports a 51 mph wind gust. Sustained winds of 36 mph. Port Aransas & Navy Corpus reporting wind gusts of 53-56 mph
— NWS Corpus Christi (@NWSCorpus) August 25, 2017
As of 12:50 p.m., Hurricane Harvey is traveling at 10 mph northwest with 110 mph winds and gusts at 130 mph.
Preparations should be rushed to completion as tropical storm conditions are now occurring in parts of the #Hurricane Warning areas #Harvey pic.twitter.com/b3y57lXKDq
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) August 25, 2017
“This is serious…the rain event is what bothers me…will cause an immense amount of flooding,” Nueces County Judge Loyd Neal said in a press conference.
Mayor McComb strongly encourages evacuation, especially the low lying areas of Area A and B as seen in the map below (pink and yellow area). pic.twitter.com/Z5gspafgSn
— City of Corpus Christi (@cityofcc) August 24, 2017
Despite some media outlets reporting Corpus Christi evacuees should seek shelter at Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio, a spokesperson with the military base says those reports are inaccurate.
CONTINUED HURRICANE HARVEY COVERAGE ON KSAT.COM: LIVE: Get latest satellite image, probable path
According to FEMA, Corpus Christi evacuees should seek shelter at Ford Hood in Killeen, Texas.
Stay with KSAT 12, Your Weather Authority, and KSAT.com for the latest details. Click HERE for more from the KSAT Weather team.
KSAT.com and KSAT 12 News will have the latest updates on Harvey and how it will affect the weather in the San Antonio area. Track Harvey: Interactive Tracker.
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