Washington (ECN) - Hurricane Ike continues to be on the move, as it has its sights set on smashing directly onto the Texas coast.

Officials across the state are watching Hurricane Ike, as forecasters predict that it will hit on Saturday.

Hurricane Ike is set to first slam into Corups Christie, and then move northwest toward Austin and Waco.

This has prompted evacuations to be ordered across the state of Texas.

The eye of Hurricane Ike was around 700 miles east of Texas as of Wednesday night.

It was moving northwest at a speed of 8 miles an hour.

On Wednesday, it gained in strength and is now a Category 2 hurricane, with winds up to 100 mph.

It may be a Category 3 storm by the end of the day on Thursday.