CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Hurricane Ian is expected to become a major hurricane and emerge into the southeastern Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday.

While it remains east of Corpus Christi, Hurricane Ian is forecasted to incur dangerous conditions on Gulf beaches Wednesday through Sunday. This includes extremely rough surf with waves as high as 12 feet, high risk for rip currents and coastal flooding that may cause closure of beach access roads to vehicle traffic. Visitors who are planning to go to the beach during this time should park their cars along access roads and walk to the beach.

There will be message boards on the access roads informing the public of beach and water conditions.

Trash cans and life guard stands have been removed from Gulf beaches in preparation for the dangerous conditions. City lifeguards will be at the beach access roads and have mobile units in case of emergencies.

The City of Corpus Christi is also monitoring the Packery Channel jetty gate for possible closure due to dangerous wave action. Visitors are highly encouraged to follow the flag warning system to stay updated on surf and rip current conditions.

Water levels at Corpus Christi Bay will remain higher than usual, but wave heights and intensity are expected to remain the same.