Hurricane Dolly, with sustained winds of 100 miles per hour, has been given Category 2 status and is expected to make landfall later today, the National Hurricane Center says.
Dolly slowed as its 15-mile-wide eye neared the Texas coast early this morning. The storm’s outer bands brought rain and the threat of flooding to cities and towns straddling the Texas-Mexico border.
The eye of the storm is expected to make landfall around midday today, near the border, the Hurricane Center says.
Up to 15 inches of rain are expected for some areas and flooding along the coast and the Rio Grande River has become a major concern, and forecasters say there could be more rain if Dolly continues to slow down.
Over a thousand National Guard troops have been called in case the levees along the river are toppled in the heavily populated Rio Grande Valley.
