Ike Just Before Landfall

Houston Chronicle:

By 10 p.m. this [Friday] evening, the massive Ike loomed about 55 miles southeast of Galveston with maximum Category 2 winds of 110 mph. It's moving west and northwest at 12 mph. Weather forecasters predict Ike may grow into a weak Category 3 hurricane by the time it makes landfall between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. Saturday.

Ike's massive size is expected to bring a storm surge of at least 25 feet at landfall.

NHC Advisory, 11 pm:

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 110 MPH... 175 KM/HR... WITH HIGHER GUSTS. IKE IS A STRONG CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE AND COULD REACH THE TEXAS COAST AS A CATEGORY THREE... MAJOR HURRICANE... JUST BEFORE LANDFALL.

NHC Discussion, 11 pm:

SHORT TERM EXTRAPOLATION WOULD PLACE THE CENTER OF IKE ALONG GALVESTON ISLAND AND/OR THE UPPER-TEXAS COAST SHORTLY BEFORE SUNRISE SATURDAY MORNING. AFTER LANDFALL... IKE IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE MOVING AROUND THE WESTERN PERIPHERY OF A SUBTROPICAL RIDGE SITUATED EAST-WEST ALONG THE NORTHERN GULF COAST AND TURN NORTHWARD IN ABOUT 12-18 HOURS...AND THEN RECURVE RAPIDLY TO THE NORTHEAST BY 24 HOURS AHEAD OF A FAST APPROACHING FRONTAL SYSTEM. BY 36-48 HOURS...
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IKE STILL HAS ABOUT A 6-HOUR WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY TO STRENGTHEN INTO A 100-KT MAJOR HURRICANE. EQUALLY IMPORTANT...HOWEVER... IS THE EFFECT THAT STRONGER WINDS ALOFT WILL HAVE ON HIGH RISE BUILDINGS. WIND DATA FROM LAND-BASED DOPPLER RADARS AND AIRCRAFT DROPSONDES INDICATE THAT WINDS NEAR CATEGORY 4 STRENGTH... 115 KT OR 130 MPH ... EXIST JUST A FEW HUNDRED FEET ABOVE THE SURFACE. THERE COULD BE A REPEAT OF DAMAGE TO WINDOWS IN HIGH RISE STRUCTURES SIMILAR TO WHAT OCCURRED DURING HURRICANE ALICIA IN 1983.

New Orleans Times-Picayune:

Storm surge from Hurricane Ike is causing widespread flooding in communities outside levees in the New Orleans area, however earlier reports of a levee breach in Plaquemines Parish were false.

Elsewhere in the state, surge from Ike has breached or overtopped levees in Terrebonne and St. Mary Parish.

Corpus Christie Caller:

The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a 19-year-old male who was swept off the south Packery Channel jetty by high waves associated with Hurricane Ike Friday.
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Witnesses and police said the missing man and a friend were walking along the jetty when the man was swept over by a wave. Long and Leal attempted to help the man’s friend get back onto the jetty when a large wave crashed into the trio. Both had visible cuts and bruises. Corpus Christi Fire Department carried the two injured men about a quarter of a mile where ambulances were waiting.

Pensacola News Journal:

Pensacola Beach officials said today water driven by Hurricane Ike are receding, but cautioned that strong surf presents a danger for swimmers.

Public Safety Director Bob West said water is no longer breaching the island at the entrance of Fort Pickens or along portions of the island east of Park East -- two of the hardest-hit areas on Thursday.