Texas coast braces for first hurricane in nearly a decade

HOUSTON—The National Weather Service has issued a hurricane warning for much of the Texas coast as Tropical Storm Harvey churns slowly through the Gulf of Mexico. Forecasters predict the storm, though weak in terms of wind strength, could dump as much as 20 inches of rain on some parts of the state. “Harvey is looking like it’s going to just meander around the area,” National Weather Service meteorologist Penny Zabel said Thursday. “It’s going to hang out for a few days, and that’s why we’re looking at such high rainfall amounts.” Harvey is expected to strengthen into a hurricane by the time it makes landfall Friday. It’s the first hurricane to hit Texas since 2008. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott elevated the readiness level at the State Operations Center to prepare for possible rescue and recovery efforts and preemptively declared a state of disaster for 30 counties in the storm’s path. Officials have urged people living in low-lying areas to evacuate to higher ground.