Hurricane Harvey's rapid intensification slowed a bit as the storm moved through the Gulf of Mexico Thursday night.
As of the 10 p.m. update, Harvey's maximum winds remained at 85 miles per hour.
"It is unclear why the intensification has slowed, although it is possibly due to some dry air seen earlier wrapping around the north side of the core convection," said the discussion from the National Hurricane Center, which was quick to warn that Harvey remains in favorable conditions to quickly grow stronger as the storm is expected to slow its forward speed on Friday.
Their forecast still assumes that Harvey will reach category 3 strength with winds that could be around 115 miles per hour at landfall on Saturday. The National Hurricane Center continues to warn of "life-threatening and devastating flooding" along the Texas coast due to storm surge.
Impacts to Louisiana will depend on what happens after Harvey makes landfall. Current projections suggest anywhere from 4 to 8 inches of rain over the next seven days.
Gov. John Bel Edwards has declared a state of emergency.