Residents in several south Texas communities were urged to evacuate on Friday ahead of a storm expected to bring hurricane winds and heavy rain this weekend.
Tropical storm Hanna strengthened and is expected to make landfall on Saturday about 50 miles (80 km) south of Corpus Christi, Texas, as a Category 1 hurricane with very dangerous winds of at least 74 mph (121 kph).
If the eighth-named storm this year becomes a hurricane it would be only the second this season to make landfall along the US Gulf of Mexico, after Cristobal which hit Louisiana in early June.
Hanna could