Hurricane Alex is expected to make landfall in a sparsely populated area in Mexico's Tamaulipas state tomorrow, but Texans as far north as Refugio are experiencing heavy rain and tornados.

The Houston Chronicle reports that residents of the Rio Grande Valley can expect wind gusts up to 65 miles per hour, with sporadic tornadoes. Two have so far been reported in the region, damaging property in Port Isabel and Brownsville, but authorities say that the the storm's trajectory promises that Texas will be spared a direct hit from the first hurricane of the 2010 season.

More tornadoes have been seen further north in the Corpus Christi area, and further north in Refugio. National Weather Service forecaster David Schumacher said the tornadoes spawned by hurricanes tend to not be as strong as tornadoes found further inland.

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"They tend not to be as strong as Midwest tornadoes," he said, "but they can do some damage. You usually see them close to the storm."

Local authorities have closed much of the South Texas coast to tourists, shutting down the South Padre Island causeway, along with beaches all the way to Mustang Island, as the rain bands have proven to be large even be normal hurricane standards.

Authorities in Nueces County are concerned that the rain could flood the Nueces River and issued a warning to residents along the river to move property and livestock to higher ground as a percaution as they may need to release water from the Wesley Seale Dam.

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As expected, the growing hurricane has affected cleanup efforts on the other side of the Gulf of Mexico. Crews involved in cleanup of the oil have been evacuated due to 12 foot waves. Containment efforts, along withe drilling of a relief well, are continuing however, and are expected to continue throughout the duration of the storm.

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