Downgraded to Cat 3 as of 2 am EDT, unconfirmed report of a “row of homes down in Port Aransas or Rockport.”
It seems the eye is now fully over land and the storm is weakening as I hoped. The more inland it goes, the less chance of it being fed by the Gulf heat and moisture. I’m seeing more and more models with the storm passing west of Houston and dumping rain over the I-35 corridor. That is actually a blessing (depending on where you live, of course) but this path should result in less damage to the upper Gulf Coast including Houston although a stronger effect on places like Austin, Waco and Dallas than originally forecasted.
As you think about this, a moment of remembrance should be shared for the town of Indianola, Texas. Never heard of it? It’s because the town, located near where Harvey struck tonight, was wiped out in the 1860s by a major hurricane. The townspeople rebuilt only to be wiped out again by another hurricane in the 1880s. This time, they merely fled. Only a few historical markers are left of Indianola, TX. Today, a footnote in history but a reminder to all that region of the Gulf Coast that mother nature has visited before.