From SciGuy:
...For Mexico this is the best possible scenario and something to hope for. With landfall less than a day away, it's also a plausible scenario.
...TEXAS EFFECTS: With a final landfall now forecast for 300 miles south of the Texas border on Wednesday, Dean's effects on this state should be minimal. Even if Dean re-strengthens into a powerful Category 3 storm it may only bring tropical depression-force winds to extreme south Texas for a few hours.
...As you can see, Dean's appearance marks the real beginning of hurricane season rather than a crescendo. For Houston the effective end comes earlier than the chart above suggests, as frontal systems generally prevent major hurricanes from making landfall in the state after late September.
From the Houston Chronicle
