After Savaging Cuba Again, Ike Turns Toward Texas

As Hurricane Ike went for round two with Cuba today, unleashing torrential rains and 80-mph winds, new models showed the Category 1 storm strengthening and bending toward the southern Texas coast later this week, CNN reports. Isolated tornadoes could also precede Ike today over the Florida Keys and southern Florida. But forecasters stressed the unreliability of their technology.

“It cannot be overemphasized that one should not focus on 4- and 5-day forecast points,” explained one hurricane specialist, “since these can be subject to substantial errors.” But Texas isn’t taking any chances: Gov. Rick Perry put 7,500 National Guard troops on standby, and Galveston’s mayor encouraged residents to stockpile nonperishable items and prepare for life without electricity. (More Hurricane Ike stories.)