Houston ? A tropical storm that formed in the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday was forecast to hit Texas’ central coast today, but meteorologists said they did not expect it to be severe.

At the same time, the year’s first major hurricane, Hurricane Fabian, was gathering strength far out in the Atlantic but was still several days from landfall.

Tropical Storm Grace triggered a tropical storm warning for the Texas coast from Corpus Christi to High Island, midway between Galveston and Port Arthur.

The storm could produce as much as 12 inches of rain, officials said.