Hurricane Beryl: Category 2 storm makes landfall in Texas

Hurricane Beryl made landfall in Texas with winds of up to 80 mph (129 kph) as authorities warned of a “life-threatening” storm surge.

Forecasters said the Category 2 storm would bring damaging winds and up to 15 inches (38 centimeters) of rain. The city of Galveston, southeast of Houston, issued a voluntary evacuation order for some areas.

The governor’s office has repeatedly urged residents not to underestimate the storm as oil ports are closed and flight schedules face disruption.

Beryl killed at least 10 people in the Caribbean before being downgraded to a tropical storm when it struck Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.

It was later upgraded again, and more than a million Texans were placed under a hurricane warning as it approached.

The US National Hurricane Center reported that wind speeds in the early hours of Monday morning reached 70 mph (110 km/h).

“Life-threatening storm surge and strong winds are occurring with significant urban flooding expected,” the National Hurricane Center warned Monday.

Authorities say that while the hurricane may not be as strong as it was in the Caribbean, it could still cause widespread power outages and disruptions in Texas, and even the city of Houston.

National Hurricane Center Director Michael Brennan warned residents in the path of Hurricane Beryl to seek shelter on Monday “because dangerous conditions will continue even after the center of Hurricane Beryl passes.”

“There is a very high risk of flash flooding across the Texas Gulf Coast, East Texas, and the Arctic.” [Arkansas-Texas] region.

Acting Gov. Dan Patrick urged people not to ignore this extremely dangerous storm.

The ports of Corpus Christi, Houston, Galveston, Freeport and Texas City have been closed, meaning there may be a temporary halt to exports.

All ship movement and shipping operations have been restricted.

Refugio County, north of Galveston, issued a mandatory evacuation Saturday — citing limited emergency services personnel capacity, Fourth of July holiday traffic and poor infrastructure in the area from Hurricane Harvey in 2017 as reasons.

Meanwhile, Nueces County has ordered a mandatory evacuation of visitors and strongly encouraged local residents to leave as well.

Patrick announced that more than 2,000 emergency personnel are ready to respond to the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl, including members of the Texas National Guard.

According to the American weather forecasting website “AccuraWeather”, hurricanes of this type that hit land in Texas are somewhat rare in July.

Beryl is expected to move across the central US states, including Mississippi, later in the week.

Hurricane Beryl was an unprecedented storm. At one point, it became the first Category 5 hurricane ever recorded.

The hurricane has already left massive destruction in the Caribbean, hitting islands including St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Mayo, Union, and Grenada in particular.

The storm was also one of the strongest to ever hit Jamaica, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without power.

Storm Beryl dumped heavy rain on the popular tourist areas of Cancun and Tulum in southern Mexico. There were no reports of major damage, but strong winds downed trees and caused power outages.

While it is difficult to attribute specific storms to climate change because the causes are complex, exceptionally high sea surface temperatures are considered the main reason behind Hurricane Beryl’s strength.

This is the first hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic season, but the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has warned that the North Atlantic could see up to seven major hurricanes this year — up from an average of three per season.