Watch Live: Hurricane Harvey In Real Time

AUSTIN, TX — It's tempting for weather junkies to reflexively go out and explore the landscape in the midst of a major climactic event. In the case of Hurricane Harvey — shaping up to be the worst hurricane to hit the U.S. in 12 years, with winds still howling and water lashing half of Texas — the reflex is not advisable.

This is no ordinary hurricane, already being described as "life-threatening." It's predicted to be the worst hurricane since Wilma in 2005 and in the same category as Katrina the same year. Predictions of devastation are so plausible, the governor took the unusual step of declaring 30 counties as disaster areas ahead of landfall. So going outside to explore is a terrible idea.

But there are eight webcams set up around the area of landfall that will provide real-time images of Harvey's wrath, yielding safe portals from which to glimpse the hurricane's effects. There's a handful of strategically placed cameras in Corpus Christi, a coastal city from which residents have been fleeing as far as San Antonio for safer ground. Other cameras are set up in Port Aransas, offering views at points north and south of Corpus Christi with live feeds.

• City of Corpus Christi officials are alerting residents to the presence of live webcams scattered throughout several points. One of those cameras is trained on downtown Corpus Christi and another aimed at the Gulf of Mexico at Whitecap Beach, covering areas stretching from the northern end of Padre Island to the southern end of Mustang Island.
• Looking out into the Gulf of Mexico, a live webcam is stationed at the Dunes Condos in Port Aransas, offering another perspective of the hurricane's effects.
• First Community Bank in Corpus Christi offers time-lapse images of the city, recording the comings and goings of coastal residents and visitors. This time, the electronic eye will focus on interloper Harvey, a unwanted guest in the city whose presence will be powerfully felt.
• Webcams normally utilized by the Texas Department of Transportation to record a day in the life of the city will double as hurricane watchers in the coming days. Its four webcams at the Port Aransas ferry landing include one trained on the north side and a trio broadcasting from the south, east and toward Cutoff Road.
• TxDot's cameras normally situated to provide glimpses of traffic for motorists planning to hit the road will also double as hurricane watchers. To be sure, TxDOT’s highway webcams in the coming days will capture much more than mundane traffic.
• The ship channel will be covered with the presence of a live webcam at the Dolphin Dock in Port Aransas.
• To the south of Corpus, The Isla Grand Beach Resort webcam will focus on the southern portion of Corpus Christi, recording hurricane history along the Gulf of Mexico at South Padre Island.
• A view of Port O'Connor can be had just up the coast from Corpus Christi, with views recorded from the Matagorda Pilot Station.

The inherent dangers associated with venturing outdoors in a storm like this cannot be overstated. In a tweet, the Texas Storm Chasers didn't mince words in conveying this to those remaining to stay put in areas with evacuation orders: "If you remain after being ordered to evacuate write your name with permanent marker on your arm so you can be identified."

Harvey Could Be The Strongest Hurricane To Hit The US Since 2005

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