Dolly is expected to strengthen to hurricane level Tuesday and make landfall near Brownsville Wednesday.
The counties are: Aransas, Bexar, Brooks, Calhoun, Cameron, Hidalgo, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kleberg, Nueces, Refugio, San Patricio, Victoria and Willacy.
The declaration allows the state to send emergency resources to the areas in the storm's path.
Slideshow archive | ABC13 wireless | Headlines at a glance