Hurricane Beryl crossed the coast near Matagorda, Texas, early Monday morning, packing a dangerous storm surge and strong winds.
Forecasters say the Category 2 event will bring damaging winds and up to 15 inches of rain.
AP Reports The National Weather Service (NWS) warned that the center of the storm made landfall about 85 miles southwest of Houston around 4 a.m. CST as a Category 1 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph and moving north at 12 mph.
Men board up a restaurant in preparation for the arrival of Tropical Storm Beryl in Port Lavaca, Texas, on July 7, 2024. Hurricane and storm surge warnings were issued for parts of the Texas coast on Sunday as southern U.S. states braced for the approach of Beryl, which could make landfall as a hurricane. (MARK FELIX/AFP via Getty Images)
The Associated Press reported that warnings and watches were issued after Beryl strengthened late Sunday and reverted to a hurricane.
The storm was weakening after leaving devastating damage in some areas. Mexico and CaribbeanIn South Texas, the storm’s outer edges battered the coast Sunday with rain and strengthening winds as residents braced for the storm’s arrival.
Hurricane warnings remain in effect along the Texas coast from Mesquite Bay north to Port Bolivar, according to the NWS.
Texas declares disaster area ahead of Hurricane Beryl https://t.co/tyr1tNxR8F
—Breitbart Texas (@BreitbartTexas) July 6, 2024
Beryl is expected to weaken to a tropical storm on Monday and a tropical depression on Tuesday, before veering northeast and picking up speed on Monday night and Tuesday, the weather service said.
As the storm approached the coast, Texas officials warned Sunday that it could cause power outages and flooding, but also expressed concern that not enough residents and beachgoers in Beryl’s path were following evacuation advice.
“One of the things that we’re a little concerned about is we’ve looked at all the roads coming off the coast and they’re still green on the map,” said Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who is serving as the state’s acting governor while Gov. Greg Abbott travels overseas. “So we’re not seeing a lot of people leaving.”
Beryl killed at least 10 people in the Caribbean and then weakened to a tropical storm as it struck Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.
The hurricane warning was then raised again, and hurricane watches were issued for more than one million Texans as the storm approached.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
