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Hurricane Dolly Is Bearing Down On South Texas, Mexico

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By NEIL JOHNSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 22, 2008

Updated: 07/22/2008 05:38 pm

TAMPA - Dolly reached hurricane strength this afternoon and is expected to hit southern Texas and northern Mexico on Wednesday.

The National Hurricane Center said Hurricane Dolly has winds of about 75 mph, just above the 74 mph threshold for a hurricane, making Dolly a Category 1 storm.

Forecasters also say Dolly should continue to gain strength as it approaches land, though they do not expect Dolly to reach Category 2.

The storm has slowed to about 10 mph from the 17 mph pace it maintained through most of today. Forecasters had said the storm would slow as it neared land.

Hurricane-force winds extend about 15 miles from the storm's center, and winds of 40 mph and stronger have a reach of up to 160 miles. The coasts of Texas and Mexico are expected to begin feeling those tropical storm winds tonight.

The hurricane center said Dolly's winds could reach about 90 mph when the core of the storm hits land Wednesday, though the storm is expected to slow slightly through the night.

The latest forecast from the hurricane center did little to alter where Dolly is expected to hit, keeping the center of the forecast track at the border of Mexico near the Texas city of Brownsville. The storm could strike north or south of the border.

With the slight decrease in speed, the hurricane center increased the estimated rainfall from Dolly to 6 to 10 inches. Up to 15 inches is possible in some places.

There also is a chance of tornadoes overnight along the southern and central coasts of Texas.

Dolly is expected to fall apart quickly once over land, and forecasters call for the storm to be nothing more than an area of low pressure by the weekend.

As for Tropical Storm Cristobal, that storm is picking up speed and zipping out into the Atlantic Ocean at more than 25 mph.

The hurricane center says Cristobal should disappear in a couple days over the north Atlantic.

A tropical wave forecasters started watching while it was over Africa on Monday has emerged into the Atlantic. That wave has some potential for development – forecasters say a 20 percent to 50 percent possibility – despite moving west over some relatively cool water the next couple days.

Forecasters gave the tropical wave that became Dolly the same probability of developing as it moved across the Caribbean Sea.

Reporter Neil Johnson can be reached at (813) 259-7731 or njohnson@tampatrib.com.

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