Hurricane Alex Makes Landfall as Category 2 Storm

Hurricane Alex ripped off roofs, flooded streets and forced thousands of people to flee coastal fishing villages as it pushed into northern Mexico after making landfall as a powerful Category 2 storm.

Photo: Hurricane Alex Makes Landfall as Category 2 Storm

Hurricane Alex Makes Landfall as Category 2 Storm

The Atlantic season's first hurricane largely spared nearby Texas, which had prepared for a possible direct hit. While it spawned two tornadoes and caused 1,000 people to evacuated low-lying areas there, state officials reported no injuries or major damages, The Associated Press says.

The storm made landfall along the Mexican coastline late Wednesday as a Category 2 storm, about 100 miles south of Brownsville, Texas.

Maximum sustained winds were 100 mph as Alex moved to the west at 10 mph, the National Hurricane Center reported. Forecasters said the storm was expected to continue in that direction and move farther inland over northeastern Mexico Thursday, CNN reports.