Dolly Nears Texas Coast as A Category 2 Hurricane
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said on Wednesday that Dolly has strengthened to a Category 2 hurricane with winds of 100 miles per hour (160 kph) as it neared the Texas coast.
The petrochemical ports along the Texas coast, according to the U.S. Coast Guard and ship pilots associations said, were closed in anticipation of the hurricane.
Ship pilots in Houston stopped steering ships along the waterway to the busiest U.S. petrochemical port due to rough seas and the port of Corpus Christi, which serves three refineries, was shut, the U.S. Coast Guard said. Pilots were still running to Texas City, Texas.
It was unknown when the ship pilots might resume running ships to the port of Houston or when the port of Corpus Christi would reopen, according to the Coast Guard.
The eye of Hurricane Dolly was expected to cross the Texas coastline near the Mexican border by noon CDT (1700 GMT) on Wednesday, according the U.S. National Hurricane Center.
Published on July 23, 2008
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