Tropical Storm Beryl is expected to make landfall as a hurricane along the Texas coast early Monday and is forecast to bring life-threatening storm surge and damaging winds, the National Hurricane Center said.
The storm, it is was Category 4 hurricane When it was destroyed The Caribbean island nations of Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines weakened to Category 2 by the time it made landfall on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on Friday. As it moved across the peninsula it weakened to become a tropical storm.
Beryl is expected to strengthen into a hurricane again late Sunday and intensify overnight before it reaches the Texas coast, the hurricane center said. The storm is forecast to bring a “life-threatening” storm surge of up to 6 feet and bring “damaged hurricane-force winds” to the coastline from Padre Island National Seashore to Sabine Pass.
Flash flooding is possible for parts of the central and north Texas coast and inland into eastern Texas through Monday night.
“Rip currents will cause life-threatening coastal conditions along much of the Gulf Coast through Monday,” the hurricane center said in an update Sunday. “Beachgoers should heed warning flags and advice from lifeguards and local authorities before entering the water.”
Tropical storm-force winds are expected to reach the Texas coast beginning Sunday night. The central and upper Texas coast and parts of East Texas could receive up to 15 inches of rain starting Sunday and into Monday night, which could cause flash flooding.
A combination of storm surge and waves could bring dangerous flooding to dry areas near the coast, the center said. The area from Matagorta Bay and Mesquite Bay to San Luis Pass could see a storm surge of 4 to 6 feet, while Galveston Bay could see 3 to 5 feet.
“Deep water will occur immediately offshore and to the right of the center, where the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves,” the hurricane center said. “Surge-related flooding depends on the relative timing of the surge and tidal cycle, and can vary greatly over short distances.”
There were soldiers from the Texas Department of Public Safety Sandbagging in South Texas Friday to residents in preparation for Beryl. A TikToker shared pictures of houses with boarded-up windows in South Texas.
The Houston Independent School District announced the closure of all campuses Monday and Tuesday due to Beryl.
Beryl is currently 165 miles southeast of Corpus Christi, Texas, with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph. It is moving northwest at 10 mph and is expected to turn north by Sunday afternoon, the hurricane center said.
“Beryl will turn northeast and move inland over eastern Texas and Arkansas late Monday and Tuesday,” the center said.
A hurricane warning is in effect along the Texas coast from San Luis Pass to Baffin Bay, and a hurricane watch is in effect from Galveston Island to the Pass.
A storm surge warning was issued for the coast from Padre Island National Seashore to Sabine Pass, including Corpus Christi Bay, Matagorta Bay and Galveston Bay.
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