Ike remains a very large hurricane churning through the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The storm will strike the upper Texas coastline early Saturday morning with potentially devastating impacts to Galveston, Houston and surrounding areas.

The AccuWeather.com Hurricane Center reports that Ike should reach Category 3 strength as it moves west-northwestward through the Gulf of Mexico.

Landfall is forecast early Saturday morning between Freeport and Galveston, which puts Houston and surrounding Harris County on the dangerous east side of the storm.

Because of the expected intensity of the hurricane at landfall and the angle at which Ike will approach the upper Texas coast, a storm surge of up to 20 feet may occur in Galveston Bay with a storm surge of 12 to 16 feet expected on the immediate coast. Gulf water will be pushed into the confined area of Galveston Bay. Hence the higher storm surge.

 Source : Accuweather.com

The cloud shield from Hurricane Ike took up nearly half of the Gulf of Mexico Thursday, but the early nighttime hours Ike.

The wind field to the east of the eye, stretches roughly 550 miles from north to south. Outer bands of thunderstorms and gusty winds Thursday moved through the Mississippi Delta and New Orleans, spreading thunderstorms into areas that were hammered by Hurricane Gustav.

The potential for catastrophic damage is extremely high. According to Forecasting Manager Ken Reeves, "In contrast to the major hits in the Gulf over the past several years, including Katrina, Ike will not weaken significantly before landfall. As a result, the damage potential is exponentially higher."

Hurricane and tropical storm watches and warnings are in effect along the Gulf Coast from the Mississippi - Alabama border to south Texas, including New Orleans and Houston.

AccuWeather.com Meteorologists will be closely watching Hurricane Ike over the next 24 hours for a more northwest storm track that could put landfall farther north along the Texas coast. Ike has been wobbling on a west-northwest path in the central Gulf of Mexico Thursday.

The storm surge from Ike could be devastating. Seas in the central Gulf of Mexico Thursday have built to 20 to 30 feet, while 10 to 20 foot swells have been reported in the western Gulf.

Parts of southern Louisiana early this morning will have a storm surge 3 to 5 feet above normal tides, with a surge of up to 3 feet above normal tides elsewhere along the Gulf Coast from south Florida to Texas.

Torrential rain and tornadoes will increase the danger and the potential for destruction well after the storm moves over land.

The Midwest Regional News story reports that Ike will turn to the north and accelerate after making landfall, fueling heavy rain on the Plains and in the Midwest through early next week.