BROWNSVILLE, Texas, Sept. 11 (UPI) -- Hurricane Ike made its way across the Gulf of Mexico Thursday while those in its projected path prepare for its ferocious impact once it makes landfall.

Ike's 100-mph winds made it a Category 2 storm. However, the U.S. Hurricane Center in Miami said it was likely to intensify through the day and into Friday before making landfall late Friday or Saturday. The most like point of impact was between Houston and Corpus Christi, Texas.

A hurricane watch was in effect from Cameron, La., to Port Mansfield, Texas.

At 1 a.m. CDT, Ike was centered about 645 miles east of Brownsville, Texas, and about 305 miles south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River, the hurricane center said. Ike was moving west-northwest at about 9 mph.

Mandatory and voluntary evacuations were taking place along Texas's low-lying coastal areas.

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