Forecasters have revealed that Tropical storm Alex was nearing hurricane strength late Tuesday as it moved north-northwest across the Gulf of Mexico.

The storm, At 8 p. m. EDT, was about 215 miles east of Las Pesca, Mexico, and about 265 miles southeast of Brownsville, Texas, and was moving toward the north-northwest at 12 mph with top sustained winds near 70 mph, said the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

A hurricane warning was in effect for the coasts of Texas and Mexico.

According to the forecasters, Alex was expected to continue on its current general motion through Wednesday. On its current track, it will approach the northeastern Mexico coast and southern Texas Wednesday, and will make landfall in the hurricane warning area late Wednesday or Wednesday night.

It has also been reported that the hurricane warning is in effect for the coast of Texas south of Baffin Bay to the mouth of the Rio Grande River, and the coast of Mexico from the mouth of the Rio Grande to La Cruz.

The center further said that a tropical storm warning is in effect for the coast of Texas from Baffin Bay to Port O'Connor.

It was further added by the center that Alex is expected to bring 6 to 12 inches of rain to the affected regions of Texas and Mexico, and a coastal storm surge of 3 to 5 feet along the coast is predicted.

The White House said in a statement posted online that President Barack Obama on Tuesday declared an emergency exists in Texas, and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local efforts in response to the storm. The declaration was retroactive to Sunday. (With Inputs from Agencies)