Editor's note: This page reflects news about Hurricane Beryl since Sunday, July 7.
Beryl intensified into a Category 1 hurricane as it headed toward the Texas coast, making residents nervous as forecasters expected the storm to make landfall early Monday.
Beryl's maximum sustained winds increased to 80 mph as of 1 a.m. (CT) Monday, according to the National Hurricane Center. The center of the storm is about 30 miles south-southeast of Matagorda and 95 miles east of Corpus Christi, Texas. “Hazardous storm surge, flash flooding and strong winds are expected and conditions are worsening.”
But the center warned that Beryl's effects — such as strong winds, heavy rains and rough seas — would begin along the Texas coast before landfall. The center said Sunday that outer rainbands of Beryl began reaching the Texas coast Sunday night.
In the most extreme cases, parts of Texas could see more than a foot of rain and winds approaching 100 miles per hour. In addition to heavy rain and damaging winds, forecasters warned of dangerous storm surges and flash flooding overnight along parts of the Texas coast.
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said in an update Sunday afternoon that Beryl is expected to touch down between Corpus Christi and Galveston, although that could change. He urged Texans not to underestimate the storm.
“Don't turn your back on Berrill,” acting Premier Patrick told CNN in an interview while Premier Greg Abbott was on a business trip. “This is a severe storm and it will cause severe damage wherever it makes landfall. Power will be knocked out. Buildings will be blown down and destroyed. Streets will be flooded with heavy rain, so take this storm very seriously. .
Several local authorities in the storm's path asked people to evacuate before the storm made landfall. Residents boarded up their windows, stocked up on supplies, and some filled up on gas as they fled town.
The storm hit the Windward Islands and Jamaica earlier this week and made landfall on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula on Friday morning, killing at least 11 people.
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∎ The U.S. Coast Guard closed the Port of Houston on Sunday afternoon due to concerns about Beryl. It also closed the ports of Texas City, Freeport and Galveston, Texas.
∎ Schools in Southeast Texas announced they would be closed Monday as a precaution. Houston Independent School District, Texas' largest school district, said all its schools and offices will be closed Monday and Tuesday.
In Corpus Christi, city officials advised residents to “stay indoors and protect outdoor objects to prevent damage,” according to the Caller-Times, a USA TODAY Network affiliate. The local National Weather Service office warned of severe and damaging winds in addition to rain and flooding.
Will Beryl hit Houston?
The country's fourth largest city is in Beryl's crosshairs.
Meteorologist Eric Berger said on the SpaceCityWeather blog that the greater Houston area, especially the western half of the metropolitan area, “will be significantly affected by strong and strong winds in addition to heavy rainfall.”
The weather service warned that rainfall could reach 15 inches in some areas, which could lead to flash flooding.
Beryl preparations reach beyond the coast
In the absence of Abbott, who is on an official tour of the Asian country, Patrick issued a disaster declaration for 120 counties in the midlands and east, warning residents that the dangers in Berrire went beyond strong winds.
Inland areas such as College Station and Texarkana, located on the Arkansas border and hundreds of miles from the coast, could be subject to heavy rains and flash flooding.
Beryl's path stretched north to the Great Lakes, not as a hurricane but as a tropical storm. “The rainbands and storms east and southeast of the Beryl Center will contain a lot of rotational motion, producing tornadoes,” AccuWeather senior meteorologist Dan Pydynowski said.
AccuWeather said other states that could be affected by heavy rainfall on Tuesday include Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana.
Texas officials advised residents along the coast to fill their gas tanks, stock up on food and water and stay in touch with family and friends. Patrick also advised them to stay informed about the latest situation and to restrict travel starting Monday.
Where is Belial?
At 11:00 PM Central Time, Beryl was centered approximately 105 miles southeast of Corpus Christi, Texas, in the Gulf of Mexico. The storm, which has increased sustained winds to 75 mph, is expected to move northwest through Sunday before turning north on Monday.
Forecasters expect it to make landfall on the Texas coast early Monday. The hurricane center said hurricane, tropical storm and storm surge watches and warnings have been issued for the Texas Gulf Coast. Storm surges in Texas from Port O'Connor to Matagorda Bay and St. Louis Pass could be as high as 7 feet.
Rainfall totals are expected to be 5 to 10 inches, with up to 15 inches in some areas.
AccuWeather meteorologist Carl Erickson warned of strong winds: “Category 1 hurricanes with wind speeds of 74 to 95 mph can blow down trees, cause widespread power outages and severely damage property. In the hardest-hit areas, power outages are likely to continue. Days to weeks.
Beryl Storm Tracker
This forecast track shows the most likely path of the storm center. It doesn't account for the storm's full width or its impact, and the center of the storm may move outside the cone up to 33% of the time.
Texas bayside town on Berry's path holds on, some flee
Busy Kevin Maredia had just a few minutes to talk Sunday morning at the gas station and convenience store he runs in Palacios, Texas. Oslo is a Gulf Coast town of 4,000 people located along the coast of Beryl.
Worried drivers stopped by to refuel, often as they set out from Palacios to escape the brunt of the storm. Other customers are getting supplies as they plan to ride out the Category 1 hurricane as it reaches U.S. coasts.
Maredia said the store, about 10 blocks from the bay that is likely to receive some of Berrill's strongest winds, has its windows covered with plywood and will close at 7 p.m. Sunday instead of the usual midnight. He added that the storm was a common topic of conversation and that he sensed concern and even panic among some customers.
“People are leaving because they think the wind is blowing this way,” he added, “so they're leaving town.”
Will Beryl quickly intensify into a Category 2 hurricane?
Meteorologists believe Beryl will be able to take advantage of low winds and warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico to quickly regain hurricane status by Sunday afternoon or evening.
The center warned that under ideal conditions, Beryl could even become a Category 2 hurricane with winds of 96 mph or more. The storm may experience a period of rapid intensification in the hours before landfall, with winds increasing to more than 35 mph.
During Beryl's early stages, there was a similar rapid increase in wind strength as it approached the Windward Islands and once it entered the Caribbean Sea.
What is the difference between a Category 1 hurricane and a Category 2 hurricane?
Category 1 hurricanes have wind speeds of 74 to 95 mph. Very dangerous winds can cause some damage: A well-constructed frame home can suffer damage to roofs, shingles, vinyl siding and gutters. Large branches can break and trees with shallow roots can collapse. Extensive damage to power lines and poles could cause outages lasting from several days to several days.
Category 2 hurricanes have wind speeds of 96 to 110 mph. Extremely dangerous winds can cause widespread damage: Well-constructed frame homes can suffer severe roof and siding damage. Many shallow-rooted trees will be snapped or uprooted and block many roads. Near-total power outages are possible, including outages that could last from days to weeks.
Where will beryl land?
The National Weather Service in Houston said the core of the strongest winds is expected to be centered around Matagorda Bay as the storm approaches land, but any shift to the east in its path could also cause stronger winds to shift. The weather service is predicting tropical storm-force winds along the I-10 corridor, which could cause widespread power outages, downed trees and damaged roofs.
Latest Beryl News:
- Coast Guard says storm could close oil ports: The Coast Guard warned that Texas ports from Corpus Christi to Houston could close and begin restricting vessel traffic because of Beryl. The port closures could temporarily halt crude oil shipments to refineries and motor fuel shipments from those plants.
- Possible tornadoes Sunday: Weather.com says landfalling tropical storms and hurricanes often create tornado threats as they move closer to the coast and move inland, forming rainbands, and Beryl is no exception. The Storm Prediction Center said that as Tropical Storm Beryl approaches, some tornadoes are possible along the upper and central Texas coast to southwestern Louisiana.
Beryl record maker
Beryl made landfall on Grenada's Carriacou island on Monday as a Category 4 hurricane, ravaging the southern Caribbean island, flattening hundreds of buildings and killing at least six people. Late Monday night, it became the earliest Category 5 hurricane ever recorded. The rapid intensification of beryl, driven by record ocean temperatures, has alarmed experts.
Beryl was also the earliest Category 4 hurricane ever recorded (downgraded to Category 3 on Monday) and the first major June hurricane ever recorded in the eastern Lesser Antilles.
Phil Klotzbach, a research scientist at Colorado State University, wrote in X that if the storm does make landfall as a hurricane, Beryl would be the 10th hurricane to make landfall in July.
Update: Dinah Voyles Pulver, Jeanine Santucci and Krystal Nurse, USA TODAY; Brandi D. Addison, USA TODAY Network; Reuters
