Reconnaissance aircraft flew into Tropical Storm Alex late Monday night and found that it has strengthened and become more organized. As of 7 a.m. CDT Tuesday Alex was located about 380 miles southeast of Brownsville, Texas with winds gusting to 70 mph.

The storm is moving north-northwest at 12 mph and is expected to turn slowly toward the northwest Tuesday night or Wednesday.

Hurricane warnings are in effect from Baffin Bay, Texas south to La Cruz, Mexico. A tropical storm warning is in effect north of the hurricane warning from Baffin Bay to Port O’Connor. The storm is expected to strengthen over the Bay of Campeche and the southwestern Gulf of Mexico.

On its current forecasted track, the storm is expected to make landfall Wednesday evening or early Thursday morning, either in northeast Mexico or the lower Gulf Coast of Texas.

There will be scattered thunderstorms along the Texas coast as a result of the storm and increasing winds could cause some minor coastal flooding at high tide.