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Hurricane Dolly has hit the Gulf Coast of Texas and was immediately downgraded into a weaker category 1 hurricane, the National Hurricane Center reported. The storm hit near South Padre Island with sustained winds of around 95 miles per hour. The eye hit the island around 2pm today, packing wind gusts of 100 to 120 mph.

Texas Governor Rick Perry issued a disaster declaration for 14 counties before Dolly arrived, paving the way for emergency service to prepare for the worst. Residents of Padre Island were encouraged to seek shelter inland on Tuesday and the causeway leading to the island was closed. Residents who chose to remain there took shelter in their homes to ride out the storm.

The storm, the second in the Atlantic this season had moved out to 35 miles east of Brownsville, Texas, by the afternoon and is expected to continue to move off to the northwest. More than 13,000 customers were without power in Cameron County, where Brownsville is located, according to the utility company AEP Texas.

Rains are expected to be heavy, with an average of 8 to 12 inches of rain and up to 20 inches in some areas. Flooding is expected. A tornado watch was in effect for parts of southern Texas and some Texas coastal waters until 7 pm tonight.