Tropical Storm Beryl is expected to hit the Texas coast as a Category 1 hurricane early Monday morning, bringing life-threatening storm surge and damaging winds, according to U.S. meteorologists.
The storm that He was Category 4 hurricane when it was destroyed Parts of the Caribbean islands of Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines had weakened to a Category 2 storm by the time it made landfall on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on Friday. It then weakened further to a tropical storm as it moved across the peninsula.
The National Hurricane Center said Beryl was expected to strengthen back into a hurricane later Sunday and continue to grow overnight before hitting the Texas coast. The National Weather Service office in Corpus Christi said the storm was likely to be a “strong Category 1 hurricane” when it makes landfall.
The storm is classified as a Category 1 storm with sustained winds of 75 mph or greater, but the hurricane center said sustained winds of 85 mph were possible.
On Sunday evening, Beryl was about 135 miles southeast of Corpus Christi with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph and higher gusts. It was moving northwest at about 12 mph, according to the hurricane center.
According to the Hurricane Center, Hurricane Beryl could make landfall in Texas along a stretch of coast from Baffin Bay north to the San Luis Pass. This stretch is covered by a hurricane warning.
The National Weather Service office in Dickinson, Texas, said the area where the hurricane is most likely to make landfall is the eastern side of Matagorda Bay, an area roughly halfway between Corpus Christi and Galveston. The hurricane center and the weather service were not more precise about the hurricane’s landfall timing than “Last Night” and “Monday morning.”
The storm is expected to bring “life-threatening” waves up to 7 feet and “hurricane-force winds” to an area along the coast from Padre Island National Seashore to Sabine Pass.
Flash flooding is also possible along portions of the central and northern Texas coast, and into eastern Texas through Monday night.
“Swell currents will cause life-threatening conditions at beaches through Monday across much of the Gulf Coast,” the hurricane center said in an update issued Sunday. “Beachgoers should heed warning flags and advice from lifeguards and local officials before venturing into the water.”
Strong winds are expected to reach the Texas coast early Sunday evening. Up to 15 inches of rain is possible across parts of the central and upper Texas coast and eastern Texas from Sunday through Monday evening, which could cause flash flooding.
The center said a combination of tides could lead to dangerous flooding in normally dry areas near the coast. Matagorda Bay and the area from Port O’Connor to San Luis Pass could see tides of 4 to 7 feet, while Galveston Bay could see tides of 4 to 6 feet.
“The deepest waters will occur along the coast near and to the right of the center, where flooding will be accompanied by large, destructive waves,” the hurricane center said. “Flooding associated with flooding depends on the relative timing of flooding and the tidal cycle, and can vary greatly over short distances,” it added.
Texas Department of Public Safety troopers were Filling sandbags in south texas Residents on Friday were preparing for Beryl. One TikTok user shared photos of homes with boarded-up windows in South Texas.
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said Sunday that 121 counties in the state have declared disasters in anticipation of damage.
“Now is the time for Texans to make final preparations to protect themselves and their property,” he said in a statement.
The Houston Independent School District announced that it will close all campuses Monday and Tuesday due to Beryl.
Hurricane Beryl is expected to move north on Monday, according to the hurricane center.
“Beryl is expected to turn northeast and move inland over eastern Texas and Arkansas late Monday and Tuesday,” the center said.
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