Sherry Cothron and Jimmy May board their windows to prepare for the arrival of Hurricane Beryl in Port Lavaca, Texas, on Sunday, July 7, 2024 .
Eric Gay/AP
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Eric Gay/AP
Early Monday, Berrill was again hit by hurricane-force storms as it approached the central Texas coastline, prompting state officials to issue warnings to residents.
The National Hurricane Center said in an update at 4 a.m. ET that Beryl, now a Category 1 hurricane, was expected to make landfall “within the next hour or two.”
The hurricane center said Beryl was located 15 miles south-southeast of Matagorda, Texas and 100 miles east-northeast of Corpus Christi, with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph.
"Life-threatening storm surge and heavy rainfall is ongoing across portions of Texas," the hurricane center said in its update. "Sustained tropical-storm-force winds and hurricane-force wind gust have already been reported along the coast, these winds will continue to spread inland."
Beryl is the earliest Atlantic storm of the year to become a Category 5 hurricane. It swept through the Caribbean last week, killing at least 11 people.
Beryl briefly weakened into a tropical storm after crossing Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. But as Beryl regained hurricane strength, the National Hurricane Center issued a series of warnings for the area from Galveston to Mesquite Bay to Corpus Christi. Storm surge could raise water levels in these areas by 3 feet to 7 feet. Rainfall amounts of 5 to 15 inches are expected.
“As Hurricane Beryl approaches the Texas coast, now is the time for Texans to make final preparations to protect themselves and their property,” Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said Sunday. ” 121 counties have been declared a national disaster, and more may be added if conditions warrant.”
Patrick said the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Parks and Wildlife, Health Services and Transportation have dispatched more than 2,500 rescue workers across the state.
On Sunday, Texas Department of Emergency Management Director Nim Kidd echoed Patrick’s comments, imploring the public to take the incident seriously.
“There’s going to be inland flooding, and we’ve found that this freshwater inland flooding tends to kill our citizens more than a true storm surge,” Kidd said. “So please don’t drive through the water. Turn around. Don’t drown. “
Beryl is expected to move inland from Texas through Arkansas on Tuesday.
Luke Garrett contributed reporting.
