Thousands of Americans fled inland today as Hurricane Lili bore down on the coast of Louisiana and Texas with 145 mph winds and high waters that threatened to sweep far inland.
Rains and rising winds were already lashing parts of Louisiana even though the storm was still 195 miles offshore in the Gulf of Mexico.
Forecasters at the US National Hurricane Center in Miami said Lili appeared to be taking aim at Louisiana's central coast near the Cajun town of New Iberia, 150 miles west of New Orleans.
A hurricane warning was posted from High Island, Texas, to the mouth of the Mississippi River, with Lili expected to come ashore at some stage today.
About 750,000 people along the coast were warned to seek higher ground ahead of what was expected to be a massive storm surge that could push 25 miles inland.
Throughout the region, property owners boarded up windows and battened down the hatches in preparation for the storm. Major highways heading out were clogged with cars.