Hurricane Harvey Is Now a Tropical Storm Again — Here's What You Need to Know
Updated on Aug. 26 at 4:00 p.m. ET.
Hurricane Harvey made landfall as a Category 4 storm between Port Aransas and Port O'Connor, TX, at 11 p.m. ET on Aug. 25. While Harvey has since been downgraded to a tropical storm, it continues to wreak havoc on the gulf, and as of this afternoon, one person has died and 12 others have been injured as a result of the storm. We'll continue to update this story with new information, but here's what we know right now:
- Rockport, TX, is the city that has been hardest hit by Harvey, with officials there still trying to assess the extent of the damage. It is also the site of the first known casualty of the storm, as one person is reported to have lost their life in a house fire overnight.
- As of Saturday afternoon, Harvey has been downgraded by the National Hurricane Center from a hurricane to a tropical storm. But NOAA currently projects the following tropical storm and wind warnings in Texas through the rest of the week:
- The current expected rain levels range between 25 and 60 inches, with winds currently tracking at around 70 miles per hour and expected to remain high through late next week.
Previous updates:
- President Donald Trump has encouraged residents to cooperate with evacuations and safety measures via Twitter. Trump also announced that he will be visiting Texas early next week.
- It's too soon to tell what the total effect will be on New Orleans, but residents are bracing for a minimum of 10 inches of rain. Extensive flooding damaged the city's drainage system earlier this month, and repairs aren't set to be completed by the first week of September, so "high-water vehicles, boats, and barricades" have been put in place should the forecast change.
- Texas Governor Greg Abbott has preemptively declared a State of Emergency in 30 counties. A full list of Texas areas that are under evacuation can be found here.
- Governor John Bel Edwards has preemptively declared a State of Emergency for the entire state of Louisiana, and a State of Emergency remains in place in New Orleans after the early August floods.
- President Donald Trump encouraged Americans to "plan ahead" for the Hurricane on Twitter.