HOUSTON (AP) - Hurricane Humberto crashed ashore along southeast Texas early Thursday, bringing heavy rains and maximum sustained winds of up to 80 mph as it made its way to Louisiana, the National Weather Service said.

The Category 1 storm made landfall about 5 miles east of High Island, near Sea Rim State Park, meteorologist Jim Sweeney said. The storm was expected to start weakening as it continued inland.

“It’s a very compact storm,” Sweeney said. The strongest winds are very close to the center of circulation. The hurricane force winds only go about 15 miles.”

Power was knocked out for most of Beaumont as the storm blew through, said Michael White, Jefferson County’s assistant emergency management coordinator.

“We’re seeing winds at about 75 to 80 miles per hour,” White said from the Emergency Operations Center in Beaumont, which lost power. Officials were forced to track the storm with laptops.

A hurricane warning was issued from east of High Island to Cameron, La. A tropical storm warning was in effect from east of Cameron to Intracoastal City, La. The storm was initially expected to strike as a tropical storm until it energized into a Category 1 hurricane after midnight.

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Hurricane Humberto Slams Ashore in Texas

I just got off the phone with my son, he’s a Deputy Sheriff in a south Louisiana Parish and he’s been on the street since 0600hrs, they are getting the tropical storm bands right now but expect clearing around 1000hrs, so far, for them, it’s wind and rain, a flash flood and tornado watch until 1000hrs…

I have a cousin in Galveston and they are pretty much high and dry now, some wind damage, some beach damage but all in all, they are OK too, looks like Humberto really was a tightly compacted little hurricane, good luck to all in the area and in it’s path…

And as most of you know, when Katrina hit 2 years ago, the 256th BCT, Louisiana National Guard was in Iraq and Kuwait, getting ready to redeploy back home, thank God this wasn’t a Katrina but it sure makes me a lot more comfortable knowing our guys and gals are home where they belong and ready to help OUR people if needed…

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