Claims News Service, July 23, 1:44 p.m. EST — Hurricane Dolly, projected to be the strongest storm to hit the US since Hurricane Wilma in 2005, is forecasted to make a landfall just east of Brownsville, Texas as a Category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of around 100 mph later today. The storm is expected to directly affect more than 500,000 people, causing wind, rain, and storm surge damage.

Dolly's winds are expected to be especially destructive. Poorly constructed buildings in the coastal region face a significant risk of structural damage and will likely be subjected to power outages.

Meteorologists anticipate that due to the unusually slow progress Dolly is making towards the mainland, it is likely that the most lethal facet of Dolly will be the potential flooding, as 6 to 12 inches of rain is expected in locations south of Corpus Christi through Brownsville and into northern Mexico.

Some areas can expect to see even more rain, like the northern Mexican mountains, which may get as much as 15 inches. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) also warned that Dolly could cause coastal storm-surge flooding of four-to-six feet above normal levels near and to the north of where the storm's center makes landfall.

As of 1 p.m. EST today, the Weather Channel reported that the extreme South Texas region had already received 6 inches of rain in the past 24 hours.

Hurricane warnings are in effect from Rio San Fernando in Mexico northward to Corpus Christi, Texas. Tropical storm warnings surround the hurricane warning area, with tropical storm warnings in effect in Mexico between Le Pesca and Rio San Fernando (where a hurricane watch is also in effect), and between Corpus Christi and Port O'Connor, Texas.

The US Census Bureau said that based on Dolly's projected path, about 1.5 million Texans could feel the storm's effects.

Texas Governor Rick Perry has activated 1,200 National Guard troops and other emergency crews in anticipation of the storm's arrival, but no mandatory evacuations have been ordered. Emergency officials said they were particularly concerned about the amount of rain Dolly is forecasted to bring to flood-prone areas in the region.

Offshore, reports said oil workers from rigs in the western Gulf of Mexico have been evacuated, but analysts said Dolly appeared likely to pass south and west of the biggest concentration of U.S. platforms. The impact on production is expected to be limited.

More information and a map of the storm is available in Guy Carpenter's catastrophe information report. [PDF]

Interested in more catastrophe news and in-depth articles? Head over to Claims' catastrophe channel for more information.

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