Immediate Affect of Hurricane Beryl
Hurricane Beryl landed early Monday morning in Texas on the Matagorda Peninsula, about 85 miles southwest of Houston. Beryl hit as a Category 1 storm, with winds reaching 80 mph. Its path will take it inland over eastern Texas. According to the National Weather Service, Beryl is expected to “bring very heavy rain, damaging hurricane-force winds, and life-threatening storm surge to the Texas coast.”
Beryl has already traveled through the Caribbean as the earliest Category 5 storm ever recorded in the Atlantic, causing at least 11 deaths and widespread destruction. It then traveled across Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula and the Gulf of Mexico. Beryl is expected to weaken as it travels overland, becoming a tropical storm on Monday.
Impact on Ports and Communities
The Port of Brownsville, Texas, began limiting ship traffic due to potential heavy rain and gale-force winds from Hurricane Beryl. The Coast Guard set Port Condition Whiskey for the ports of Brownsville and Corpus Christi, Texas, through Monday in anticipation of Hurricane Beryl’s arrival. Corpus Christi and Brownsville port officials said they are closely monitoring new developments related to the storm. Under Port Conditions, Whiskey, ports, and other facilities can remain open for commercial operations.
Due to the active tropical conditions anticipated in the Gulf of Mexico, the Port of Corpus Christi has increased its hurricane readiness status to level 3 (increased readiness). The port continues to monitor possible impact scenarios for the developing system in and around the Coastal Bend region. According to the National Weather Service, heavy rain will likely be the biggest threat to South Texas. The storm is expected to move west by northwest and still be a tropical depression by 8 a.m. Tuesday, with its center near Laredo, Texas.
Widespread Power Outages and Safety Concerns
According to the tracking site poweroutage.us, as of Monday morning, over 2 million people were without power in Texas. In Matagorda and Brazoria counties, where Beryl made landfall, nearly 100% of customers tracked by the website were out of service.
7 Safety Tips from FEMA:
- Do not use a gas stove or oven to heat your home.
- Turn off appliances and electronics to prevent electrical surge damage.
- Have a backup plan to refrigerate medicines and medical devices that require power.
- Check with local officials about the heating and cooling locations near you.
- Stock up on batteries, nonperishable food items, and water.
- Have flashlights for household members.
- Place generators outside and keep them dry and well-grounded. Don’t plug them into your wall’s outlet or a main electrical panel.
Beryl’s Path and Further Developments
Hurricane Beryl is approaching the Houston area as it continues to move inland after making landfall near Matagorda, Texas, earlier Monday. The Category 1 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph, is located about 40 miles southwest of Houston and is moving north at 12 mph. Steady weakening is expected as the center moves inland.
Beryl is expected to weaken to a tropical storm later today and to a tropical depression on Tuesday as it moves through the Lower Mississippi Valley and into the Ohio Valley on Tuesday and Wednesday. With some updates from post-landfall, we have you covered on any updates. For real-time updates at any time, please see the Yahoo news live feed.
Updates mid-day landfall
Hurricane Beryl landed early Monday morning in Texas on the Matagorda Peninsula, about 85 miles southwest of Houston. It was a Category 1 storm with winds reaching 80 mph. As of 10 a.m. CT, th10 Atlanta Hurricane Center had downgraded Beryl to a tropical storm. Its path will take it inland over eastern Texas.
According to the National Weather Service, Beryl is expected to “bring very heavy rain, damaging hurricane-force winds and life-threatening storm surge to the Texas coast.”
Beryl is already the earliest Category 5 storm ever recorded in the Atlantic, having traveled through the Caribbean and caused at least 11 deaths and widespread destruction. It then traveled across Mexico’s Yucat-Mexicossula and the Gulf of Mexico. Beryl is expected to weaken as it travels overland and becomes a tropical storm on Monday.
Hundreds of thousands of people in Texas were without power. According to the company’s outage tracker, CenterPoint Energy reported more than 1.5 million customers were affected in the Houston region alone.
