Hurricane Lili expected to hit northwest gulf states

MIAMI - Hurricane Lili could strike land in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico by the end of the week with winds of nearly 100 miles-per-hour, forecasters said Monday as the Caribbean storm approached western Cuba. <br> <br> Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi are Lili&#39;s likely targets by Thursday or Friday, says forecaster Martin Nelson of the National Hurricane Center in Miami. He added that Lili poses a lesser risk of striking Alabama and western Florida. <br> <br> Lili became the season&#39;s fourth hurricane today when its maximum sustained winds increased to 75 miles-per-hour as it passed over Jamaica and the Cayman Island, also brushing eastern Cuba. At 11 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time Lili was centered 225 miles southeast of the Isle of Youth just south of Cuba and moving west-northwest near 10 miles per hour. Forecasters expect it to continue in that direction, taking Lili through western Cuba. <br> <br> Lili will weaken as it passes through Cuba but will strengthen once it emerges in the Gulf of Mexico, eventually becoming a category 2 storm which have winds of at least 96 miles-per-hour. From their, Lili is virtually assured to make landfall on the U.S. Gulf Coast.

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