Ike heading toward Texas; Lowell over Mexico

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After a deadly and destructive trip across the Caribbean, Hurricane Ike began to move across the Gulf of Mexico, where it was expected to strengthen before plowing into Texas.

And in the Pacific, Tropical Depression Lowell was moving over Mexico's Baja California peninsula.

In Texas, Ike was expected to make landfall over the weekend somewhere between Corpus Christi and Houston, creating the potential for heavy punishment for Houston. Some forecasts said Ike could strengthen to a fearsome Category 4 hurricane with winds of at least 131 mph over the Gulf of Mexico, and emergency officials warned it could drive a storm surge as high as 18 feet.

Four counties south and east of Houston have announced mandatory or voluntary evacuations, and authorities began moving weak and chronically ill patients by bus to San Antonio, about 190 miles from Houston.

The oil and gas industry was also closely watching Ike, fearing damage to the very heart of its operations.

Texas is home to 26 refineries that account for a fourth of U.S. refining capacity, and most are clustered along the Gulf Coast in places such as Houston, Port Arthur and Corpus Christi.

Exxon Mobil Corp.'s plant in Baytown, outside Houston, is the nation's largest refinery. Dow Chemical has a huge operation just north of Corpus Christi.

Refineries are built to withstand high winds, but flooding can disrupt operations and power outages can shut down equipment for days or weeks. An extended shutdown could lead to higher gasoline prices.

Ike has already killed at least 80 people in the Caribbean. In Cuba, Vice President Jose Ramon Machado Ventura said Wednesday that the storm damaged at least 27,000 homes in eastern Cuba, but that tally will rise sharply because it does not include Havana or many other regions where officials were still battling flood waters as they struggle to catalog losses.

Early Thursday, Ike was a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 100 mph. But the National Hurricane Center said Ike was expected to get stronger and could become a Category 3 hurricane later Thursday or on Friday.

A tropical storm warning was extended Thursday to include the Mississippi-Alabama border, New Orleans, Lake Pontchartrain and going westward to areas east of Cameron, La. A hurricane watch was in effect from Cameron to Port Mansfield, Texas.

At 5 a.m. EDT Thursday, Ike was churning about 620 miles east of Brownsville, Texas, and moving west-northwest near 9 mph.

Meanwhile, Lowell was moving over southern Baja California in Mexico with maximum sustained winds near 30 mph. Forecasters said Lowell could bring 1 to 3 inches of rain that could cause flash flooding and mudslides, especially in higher terrain.

After moving across Baja California, Lowell was forecast to cross the Gulf of California and move into Mexico's mainland Thursday night.

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