MATAGORDA, Texas (AP) — Beryl made landfall on the Texas coast near Matagorda early Monday with dangerous storm surge and strong winds, the National Weather Service reported.
The center of the storm made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane around 4 a.m. Central Standard Time about 85 miles southwest of Houston, with sustained winds of 80 mph (128.7 km/h) while moving north at 12 mph (19.3 km/h).
Beryl strengthened into a hurricane again Sunday night. The storm had weakened after leaving a path of deadly destruction across parts of Mexico And the CaribbeanIn South Texas, outer bands of the storm pounded the coast with rain and increasingly intense winds Sunday as residents braced for the storm’s arrival.
A hurricane warning remains in effect for the Texas coast from Mesquite Bay north to Port Bolivar, the center said.
Jimmy May boards up windows as he prepares for the arrival of Hurricane Beryl, Sunday, July 7, 2024, in Port Lavaca, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Beryl is expected to weaken to a tropical storm Monday and a tropical depression Tuesday, the weather service said, predicting a turn northeast and an increase in speed Monday night and Tuesday.
The center of the storm is expected to move toward eastern Texas on Monday, then across the lower Mississippi Valley to the Ohio Valley on Tuesday and Wednesday, the weather service said.
Residents along the Texas coast boarded up their windows and evacuated coastal towns. The storm is expected to make landfall early Monday in the middle of the Texas coast around Matagorda Bay, an area about 100 miles (161 kilometers) south of Houston, but officials warned its path could still change.
As the storm approached the coast, Texas officials warned Sunday that it could cause power outages and flooding, but also expressed concern that too few residents and vacationers in Beryl’s path had heeded warnings to leave.
“One of the things that’s a little bit concerning to us is we’ve looked at all the routes leaving the coast and the maps are still green,” said Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who is serving as the state’s acting governor while Gov. Greg Abbott is traveling abroad. “So we’re not seeing a lot of people leaving.”
The tropical storm’s winds extended 115 miles (185 kilometers) from the center, and the hurricane center warned residents to prepare for possible flash flooding in parts of central, upper and eastern Texas and Arkansas as the storm gradually turns north and then northeast later Monday.
Along the Texas coast, many residents and business owners took standard storm precautions but also expressed uncertainty about the storm’s intensity.
In Port Lavaca, Jimmy May taped plywood over the windows of his power company and said he wasn’t worried about the potential storm surge. He recalled that his business had escaped flooding during a previous hurricane that brought a 20-foot storm surge.
“In the city, you know, if you’re in the low-lying areas, obviously you have to get out of there,” he said.
At the nearby marina, Percy Roberts showed his neighbor Ken Waller how to properly secure his boat as strong winds blew in from the bay Sunday night.
“This will actually be the first hurricane I’m going to deal with,” Waller said, noting he was a little nervous but felt safe following Roberts’ lead. “Pray for the best, but expect the worst, I guess.”
The first storm to turn into a Category 5 Hurricane In the Atlantic, Beryl caused at least 11 deaths as it barreled through the Caribbean en route to Texas. The storm ripped off doors, windows and roofs with devastating winds and a storm surge fueled by Atlantic heat record.
On three occasions in its single week of existence, Beryl saw its wind speed increase by 56 km/h (35 mph) in 24 hours or less, which meets the official definition of rapid intensification according to the weather service.
Leo Cardin walks past a Confederate artillery battery as he watches storm clouds gather in front of Beryl, Sunday, July 7, 2024, in Port Lavaca, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Beryl’s explosive growth into an unprecedented early storm indicates the Hot water Atlantic and Caribbean hurricane belt and what the Atlantic hurricane belt can expect for the remainder of the storm season, experts said.
Texas officials warned residents along the coast to prepare for possible flooding, heavy rain and strong winds. The hurricane warning extends from Baffin Bay, south of Corpus Christi, to Sargent, south of Houston.
Beryl looms as another potential heavy rain event for Houston, where storms in recent months have power knocked out through the country’s fourth largest city and flooded neighborhoodsA flash flood warning was in effect across a wide swath of the Texas coast, where forecasters expected Beryl to dump up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain in some areas.
Potential storm surges between 4 and 7 feet (1.22 and 2.13 meters) above ground level were forecast around Matagorda. The warnings extended to the same coastal areas where Hurricane Harvey It hit the coast in 2017 as a Category 4 hurricane, much more powerful than Beryl’s expected intensity by the time the storm makes landfall.
People looking to fly out of the area saw the window close as Beryl moved closer. Hundreds of flights from Houston’s two major commercial airports were delayed by mid-afternoon Sunday, and dozens more were canceled, according to data from FlightAware.
In Corpus Christi, officials asked visitors to shorten their stay and return home as soon as possible. Residents were urged to secure their homes by boarding up windows if necessary and using sandbags to protect against possible flooding.
The White House said Sunday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency had sent emergency responders, search and rescue teams, bottled water and other resources along the coast.
Clyde George, left, and his son Chris George board up their home before Tropical Storm Beryl arrives, Sunday, July 7, 2024, in Port O’Connor, Texas. (Jon Shapley/Houston Chronicle via AP)
Several coastal counties have called for voluntary evacuations in low-lying areas prone to flooding. Local officials have also banned beach camping and urged tourists traveling over the July 4 weekend to move their recreational vehicles out of coastal parks.
Last week, Beryl hit Mexico as a Category 2 hurricane, toppling trees but causing no injuries or deaths before weakening to a tropical storm as it moved across the Yucatan Peninsula.
Before hitting Mexico, Beryl caused damage in Jamaica, Barbados and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Three people were killed in Grenada, three in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, three in Venezuela and two in Jamaica.
___
Gonzalez reported from McAllen, Texas. Associated Press reporters Margery A. Beck in Omaha, Nebraska, Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City and Julie Walker in New York contributed to the report.
