Sept. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Galveston, Texas, will begin voluntary evacuations tomorrow in advance of Tropical Storm Rita, which is expected to make landfall at the end of the week along the Texas Gulf Coast, city officials said at a news conference.

``Rita could hit Galveston,'' City Manager Steve LeBlanc said at the news conference this afternoon. ``Even though it's expected to be Category 3, we're planning for a Category 4.''

Rita is expected to pass just south of the Florida Keys by tomorrow before heading into the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. National Hurricane Center has said. It is forecast to reach Texas by Sept. 24, sweeping past the coastal region devastated last month by Hurricane Katrina.

Voluntary evacuations will begin at 2 p.m. local time tomorrow, Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas said. A fleet of 88 buses will begin transporting residents off the island 50 miles southeast of Houston beginning at 10 a.m. on Sept. 21.

To contact the reporter on this story: Margot Habiby in Dallas at mhabiby@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: September 19, 2005 15:04 EDT