BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS - Hurricane Dolly barreled into South Texas on Wednesday, lashing the coast with winds up to 100 mph and dumping heavy rain that flooded some low-lying areas but spared levees along the heavily populated Rio Grande Valley.

Authorities had feared the first hurricane to hit the U.S. since September could produce up to 20 inches of rain in some areas, possibly breaching levees in the heavily populated Rio Grande Valley. But shortly before its center came ashore, the Category 2 storm meandered 35 miles north of the border, veering away from the flood walls.

"We're not experiencing any issues with the levees right now," said Sally Spener, spokeswoman for the International Boundary and Water Commission.

Dolly was downgraded to a tropical storm late Wednesday night, and authorities in Texas and Mexico were watching for flooding. About 5,000 people went to public shelters in three Texas counties hit hardest by the storm. More were expected as night fell, and at least 50,000 customers were left without power.

Most of the destruction from wind was on the resort island of South Padre Island, where the hurricane's center came ashore and knocked out power to thousands of homes, ripped off roofs and smashed windows.

Between 5 and 12 inches of rain had fallen in Brownsville's Cameron County by Wednesday evening, and an additional 3 to 7 inches was expected during the night, according to the National Weather Service.

Small communities just north of Brownsville were hit by high winds and flooded with murky waters. Affected areas included low-lying colonias, small villages of immigrants who live without sewer and water service. A family of eight had to be rescued by sheriff's deputies when floodwaters surrounded their home.

At 11 p.m. EDT Wednesday, the storm's center was about 55 miles northwest of Brownsville and moving west at about 7 mph. The storm's maximum sustained winds had weakened to about 70 mph. Forecasters expected it could be downgraded to a tropical depression today.

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