The National Weather Service officials said remnants of Hurricane Ike will reach North Texas a few hours earlier than expected.

The remnants of Hurricane Ike in the form of advancing 20 mph winds could arrive in North Texas as early as 7 a.m. and double in speed by mid-morning.

Earlier projections indicated that it might be noon before the remnants reached the Metroplex.

But Gary Woodall of the National Weather Service in Fort Worth said the earlier estimates were revised Friday when the projected storm track shifted west.

Heavy rain will follow the stout winds by mid-morning Saturday, and that combo will pound North Texas for much of the day, Woodall said.

Consequently, the weather service has issued tropical storm wind warnings for most of North Texas on Saturday.

That means sustained winds could range from 39 to 73 miles per hours, although Woodall said winds probably will reach up to 50 miles per hour in the Fort Worth area.

The area is expected to get 2 to 4 inches of rain, he said.

"This is not going to be 20-minute event like a spring thunderstorm," he said. "This will be an extended event."

The sustained winds could cause downed trees and power lines and possible power outages, Woodall said.

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