Hurricane Beryl is expected to strengthen as it approaches the South Texas coast, posing threats of damaging winds, life-threatening storm surges and severe flooding. The storm is expected to be the first storm to make landfall in the United States during the 2024 Atlantic season.
Earlier this week, Hurricane Beryl strengthened to a Category 5 hurricane, the fastest ever recorded in the Atlantic, killing at least nine people in the Caribbean. The casualties included two in Jamaica, three in Venezuela, three in Grenada and one in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
By Saturday morning, Beryl had been downgraded to a tropical storm, about 545 miles from Corpus Christi, Texas, after bringing significant wind, rain and storm surge damage to Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and several Caribbean islands.
Hurricane Beryl is forecast to regain strength Sunday before making its expected landfall in South Texas.
The National Weather Service has issued hurricane and storm warnings for parts of the Texas coast starting Friday night. The hurricane warning extends from the mouth of the Rio Grande to San Luis Pass, while a storm surge warning is in effect from the Rio Grande to High Island, including coastal Harris County.
Additionally, a hurricane warning has been declared for the northeastern coast of Mexico, from Barra el Mezquital to the mouth of the Rio Grande.
The National Hurricane Center expects Beryl to make landfall around Corpus Christi as a Category 1 hurricane by midday Monday. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said the state could begin experiencing Beryl’s effects Sunday through Monday.
He expressed the state’s hope that the impact would be less severe, saying: “We pray and hope that there will be no more rain, but even heavy rains could be very severe. We are preparing in the state for the worst-case scenario.”
