Re-emerging Hurricane Beryl is expected to make landfall in South Texas early Monday morning, possibly as a powerful Category 2 hurricane, bringing strong winds, heavy rain and potential tornadoes to the densely populated Houston metropolitan area.
The storm has slammed into the Gulf of Mexico, gathering new strength and is expected to continue to strengthen as it heads toward the United States, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
Temperatures along the Texas coast are expected to reach or exceed 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) over the next few days, with the heat index reaching 108 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday. Flood watches were issued for parts of East Texas ahead of the storm, which had maximum wind gusts of 60 mph as of Sunday morning.
“Texas must expedite preparations to be completed,” the NHC said. Posts Sunday afternoon on X (formerly Twitter).
More than 120 counties were placed under disaster declarations on Sunday following a statement from Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who on Saturday urged Texans in the region to make final preparations.
“Beryl is a powerful storm and its high winds and potential flooding will pose a serious threat to Texans in Beryl’s path.” Patrick said.
He added that “Texans should remain vigilant, pay close attention to local authorities and prepare for today and tomorrow before the storm makes landfall early Monday morning.”
Patrick later warned that Beryl “will be a deadly storm for those in its path” and expressed concern that holidaymakers on the Gulf Coast might not be watching the news or checking their emails because road traffic data showed no evacuations.
“The map is still green,” he said. “It doesn’t look like many people are leaving.”
Since Hurricane Beryl struck the Caribbean, causing devastation as the earliest Atlantic Category 5 hurricane on record, the US NHC has been issuing frequent updates as the storm approaches. The climate crisis continues to intensify hurricanes, with this summer predicted to be an above-average season.
“If you live within a storm surge watch zone, if you live in a storm surge evacuation zone, please start preparing in case you are asked to evacuate by local authorities,” said Michael Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Center. He told the Houston Chronicle“Be prepared, especially on barrier islands, that you may be forced to leave your home.
On Sunday, the Port of Corpus Christi was closed due to expected high winds, and other ports along the Texas coast that primarily serve the oil industry also began closing or restricting ship traffic.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which has its Starbase launch site on South Padre Island, NASA Instagram post The crane was lowered, Ship 31 They were sent back to production in preparation for the storm.
Over the past week, Beryl slammed into the southeastern Caribbean as a Category 4 hurricane, killing 10 people, destroying property, and forcing hundreds of evacuation. It then made landfall again on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula as a Category 2 hurricane, before moving northwestward over very warm waters as a tropical storm. On Sunday, it was expected to regain strength as a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico and make landfall on the central Texas coast between the US-Mexico border and Houston.
After drowning Texas, the storm is expected to dissipate as a subtropical depression, bringing rain and flooding to the Midwest and upper Midwest.
The National Hurricane Center said early Sunday that while Beryl had not strengthened over the past 24 hours, its vertical wind shear was decreasing and it could strengthen again as it mixes with drier air.
“The most rapid strengthening will likely occur just before landfall, and the latest forecast indicates Beryl could reinstate as a hurricane within the next 24 hours and continue to strengthen until shortly before landfall.” The center said.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 109 tropical storms have made landfall in Texas since 1850. The most recent was Category 1 Hurricane Nicholas, which killed two people and caused $1 billion in damages.
Hurricane Harvey devastated the Houston area in 2017.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed reporting
