Beryl intensifies back into hurricane as Texas braces for storm surges and flash flooding: Live updates

Tropical storm Beryl has intensified into a hurricane and is expected to strengthen further before its expected landfall tonight on Texas’s southeast coast.

The hurricane is hurtling towards Houston with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph) and is 105 miles (170 km) east of the city of Corpus Christi, the National Hurricane Center said.

It is expected to be a Category 2 storm by the time it makes landfall near Houston.

More than a million people in Texas have been placed under a hurricane warning and are bracing for storm surges, flash flooding and strong winds.

Acting governor Dan Patrick declared 120 counties to be disaster areas ahead of the storm and warned Beryl “will be a deadly storm”.

School systems, airports and major oil shipping operations have been suspended and will remain closed for the day on Monday.

Beryl has already left a trail of destruction as a Category 5 hurricane through Mexico and the Caribbean.

Key Points

• Beryl upgraded to a hurricane before landfall

• Beryl expected to be the first US hurricane landfall of the 2024 season

• Texas governor urges residents to make ‘emergency plan’ for Beryl

• When is Beryl expected to make landfall in Texas?

• Beryl death toll rises to eleven

Texas residents gear up for Hurricane Beryl

06:12 , Shweta Sharma

Beryl upgraded to a hurricane before landfall

05:19 , Shweta Sharma

With maximum sustained winds increasing to nearly 75 mph (120 km/h), Beryl has been upgraded to a hurricane, said the National Hurricane Center.

The hurricane will further strength before landfall on the Texas coast on Monday, it added.

Beryl has been an extraordinary storm, setting records as the earliest category 5 hurricane ever documented.

It has caused significant destruction across the Caribbean, particularly affecting the islands of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Mayreau, Union, and Grenada.

Beryl was among the most powerful storms ever to strike Jamaica, leaving hundreds of thousands without electricity.

Beryl expected to be the first US hurricane landfall of the 2024 season

04:59 , Graig Graziosi

The National Weather Service is still predicting that Tropical Storm Beryl will hit Texas as a Category 1 hurricane on Monday morning.

This will make Beryl the first Atlantic hurricane to hit the US in the 2024 summer and fall hurricane season.

Houston airport may cancel flights as Beryl approaches

04:53 , Shweta Sharma

The Houston airport has said flight delays or cancellations are possible as Beryl approaches Texas.

It said even for flights departing to or arriving from destinations outside the storm’s direct path, “airlines may need to adjust flight schedules and routes due to the hurricane’s overall impact on their network”.

It urged people not to seek refuge at the airport during the storm.

“As the storm approaches and people plan to stay indoors and safe from the storm, we want to remind everyone that our airports are not equipped to serve as storm shelters. We lack the supplies and staff to accommodate people seeking refuge during the storm,” it said.

National Hurricane Center forecasts peak storm surge for Texas coast

04:33 , Shweta Sharma

The NHC said there is a danger of life-threatening storm surge inundation along the Texas coast from Mesquite Bay to Sabine Pass, including Matagorda Bay and Galveston Bay.

Storm Beryl barreling in with 70mph winds as conditions set to ‘deteriorate’

04:18 , Shweta Sharma

Conditions are expected to deteriorate with dangerous storm surges, flash flooding and strong winds as Beryl is expected to make landfall as a hurricane along the Texas coast, the National Hurricane Centre said.

Beryl is 75 miles (120 km) south-southeast of Matagorda, Texas, and approximately 110 miles (180 km) east of Corpus Christi, Texas, according to 10pm CDT advisory.

The storm is moving with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph (110 km/h).

Floridians band together to assist victims of Hurricane Beryl

04:00 , Graig Graziosi

Communities in Florida are uniting to assist other communities damaged by Hurricane Beryl.

The storm killed at least nine people in Carribbean and pummeled the island of Carriacou in Grenada earlier this week.

Floridians — no strangers to the power of hurricanes — have started making donations of critical items and volunteering their time to prepare the donated goods for shipment to hurricane-hit communities that need them the most.

Texas residents brace for power outages, flooding as Beryl moves closer to landfall

03:58 , Shweta Sharma

Rain and intensifying winds began lashing Texas coastal residents as powerful storm Berly moved close after leaving a trail of devastation in parts of Mexico and the Caribbean.

Although Beryl remained a tropical storm Sunday as it churned toward Texas, it threatened to potentially regain hurricane strength in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico before making landfall early Monday.

The storm was projected to come ashore in the middle of the Texas coast around Matagorda Bay, an area about 100 miles (161 kms) south of Houston, but officials cautioned the path could still change.

Texas officials warned the storm would cause power outages and flooding but also expressed worry that not enough coastal residents and beach vacationers in Beryl‘s path were heeding warnings to leave.“One of the things that kind of trigger our concern a little bit, we’ve looked at all of the roads leaving the coast and the maps are still green,” said Texas Lt gov Dan Patrick, who is serving as the state’s acting governor.

When is Beryl expected to make landfall in Texas?

03:00 , Graig Graziosi

Beryl is expected to make landfall in southeast Texas early on Monday morning as a Category 1 hurricane.

State officials have issued a disaster declaration for 121 counties ahead of the storm’s arrival.

White House: Biden monitoring Beryl’s development as it nears Texas

02:00 , Graig Graziosi

Joe Biden and administration officials are monitoring the development of Tropical Storm Beryl as it continues to churn toward southeast Texas.

“We are in close contact with our state and local counterparts and FEMA has prepositioned response personnel, search and rescue teams, bottled water, meals, tarps and electric generators in case they are needed. On Sunday, FEMA activated its National Response Coordination Center (NRCC) to further support local response efforts,” the White House said in a statement to pool reporters on Sunday.

WATCH: Beryl expected to hit Texas coast Monday

01:00 , Graig Graziosi

Texas officials issue disaster declaration for 121 counties ahead of Beryl landfall

Monday 8 July 2024 00:00 , Graig Graziosi

Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick — who is acting governor while Governor Greg Abbott is out of country traveling — has issued a disaster declaration for 121 counties ahead of Beryl’s landfall as an expected Category 1 hurricane on Monday morning.

The declaration allows state resources to be used in preperatory work and recovery efforts.

Abbott advised Texans living in the storm’s path to begin preparing now for the storm’s arrival.

Hurricane season 2024 is here. Here’s how to stay prepared

Sunday 7 July 2024 23:00 , Graig Graziosi

Hurricane season is upon us, known for disastrous flooding and high-speed winds in coastal areas of the United States and in the Caribbean and Central America, and emergency management officials are urging people to stay prepared.

Unlike previous hurricane seasons, this summer brings record hot temperatures nationwide and an early onset of storms. Hurricane season runs June 1 to Nov. 30, but usually the most hurricanes occur in September and October, said Jaime Hernandez, the emergency management director for Hollywood, on Florida’s Atlantic Coast.

READ MORE:

Hurricane season 2024 is here. Here’s how to stay prepared

Texas emergency officials to residents: driving through flood waters could be deadly

Sunday 7 July 2024 22:18 , Graig Graziosi

The Texas Division of Emergency Management warned residents in areas likely to be affected by Tropical Storm Beryl — which is expected to make landfall as a Cateogry 1 hurricane on Monday — not to drive through flood waters during the storm, as doing so could be deadly.

“There will be inland flooding, and what we find is this freshwater inland flooding tends to be more of a killer of our citizens than the actual storm surge,” Chief W Nim Kidd said during a press briefing said. “So please, please do not drive through water. Turn around. Don’t drown.”

Texas emergency officials warn that power outages are likely when Beryl hits

Sunday 7 July 2024 21:22 , Graig Graziosi

The Texas Division of Emergency Management warned on Sunday that some residents in the state’s southeast may experience power outages when Tropical Storm Beryl makes landfall as a Category 1 hurricane on Monday.

“There will be power outages. Let that be known. There is going to be some place in Texas that with these tropical and hurricane force winds, we are going to have power outages,” DEM Chief W Nim Kidd said during a press briefing.

He told residents to charge all of their needed devices before the storm and to ensure their vehicles were fueled up before landfall.

Kidd also advised that residents who rely on electrical medical equipment be moved to safe areas.

WATCH: Texas leaders discuss Beryl preparations

Sunday 7 July 2024 21:00 , Graig Graziosi

Texas officials warn visitors to go home before Beryl hits

Sunday 7 July 2024 20:25 , Graig Graziosi

Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick has advised tourists visiting the state’s southeast coast to return home as soon as possible before Tropical Storm Beryl makes landfall as a Category 1 hurricane on Monday morning.

“We have thousands upon thousands upon thousands of people who are spending their summer vacation there — holiday weekend on top of that,” he said during a press conference. “There is a concern that because they’re not in their daily routine of watching the news, or checking their internet, or checking their emails, that they may not be aware of this storm.”

Texas officials say Beryl could be a ‘deadly storm’ for those caught in its path

Sunday 7 July 2024 20:03 , Graig Graziosi

Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said during a press conference on Sunday that Tropical Storm Beryl — which is expected to make landfall in southeast Texas as a Category 1 hurricane — could be a “deadly storm” for anyone caught in its path.

“The good news is that it looks like it will move quickly through the state,” Patrick said during the press briefing. “This will be a heavy rain event, but the storm will move quickly.”

He also said that 121 counties were now covered by disaster declarations, which allows Austin to use state funds to help prepare and respond to the storm.

Galveston shuts down public facilities ahead of Beryl

Sunday 7 July 2024 20:00 , Graig Graziosi

Galveston announced on Sunday it will close all of its public facilities to prepare for the arrival of Tropical Storm Beryl, which is expected to make landfall as a Category 1 hurricane in southeast Texas on Monday morning.

“Out of an abundance of caution, City facilities will be closed on Monday and only essential personnel will report to work,” the city said in a Facebook post. “The recreation centers, public buildings, municipal court, and City Hall will all be closed Monday.”

The closures will not affect police, fire and emergency services, according to the city. Public work crews addressing storm-related infrastructure will also still be operating.

The city said that public buildings should re-open on Tuesday.

NHC warns Beryl could make landfall as a Category 2 hurricane

Sunday 7 July 2024 19:32 , Graig Graziosi

The National Hurricane Center said on Sunday that Tropical Storm Beryl was picking up strength on its approach to Texas, and could make landfall as a Category 2 hurricane.

The storm currently has maximum sustained winds of 65mph, according to the NHC.

Some of the storm’s outer rain bands are beginning to reach the southeast coast of Texas, bringing brief heavy rains and thunderstorms to the region.

Beryl is expected to reach hurricane strength later today.

“We are expecting Beryl to be intensifying up until landfall early Monday, and people should be preparing for the possibility of a category 2 hurricane landfall,” the NHC said in its 11am statement.

WATCH: Tropical Storm Beryl: Mandatory evacuation orders

Sunday 7 July 2024 19:03 , Graig Graziosi

Beryl expected to be the first US hurricane landfall of the 2024 season

Sunday 7 July 2024 18:00 , Graig Graziosi

The National Weather Service is still predicting that Tropical Storm Beryl will hit Texas as a Category 1 hurricane on Monday morning.

This will make Beryl the first Atlantic hurricane to hit the US in the 2024 summer and fall hurricane season.

WATCH: Tropical Storm Beryl: Updated timing, track, NTX impact

Sunday 7 July 2024 17:40 , Graig Graziosi

Floridians band together to assist victims of Hurricane Beryl

Sunday 7 July 2024 17:15 , Graig Graziosi

Communities in Florida are uniting to assist other communities damaged by Hurricane Beryl.

The storm killed at least nine people in Carribbean and pummeled the island of Carriacou in Grenada earlier this week.

Floridians — no strangers to the power of hurricanes — have started making donations of critical items and volunteering their time to prepare the donated goods for shipment to hurricane-hit communities that need them the most.

When is Beryl expected to make landfall in Texas?

Sunday 7 July 2024 16:33 , Graig Graziosi

Beryl is expected to make landfall in southeast Texas early on Monday morning as a Category 1 hurricane.

State officials have issued a disaster declaration for 40 counties ahead of the storm’s arrival.

NWS extends hurricane warning, issued updated guidance ahead of Beryl

Sunday 7 July 2024 16:14 , Graig Graziosi

On Sunday, the National Weather Service issued several warnings related to Tropical Storm Beryl ahead of its expected landfall in southeast Texas early tomorrow.

The agency posted a message warning that there could be a “life-threatening storm surge” late on Sunday and into Monday along the state’s coast.

The storm surge warning stretches from “the north entrance to the Padre Island National Seashore to High Island, including Corpus Christi Bay, Matagorda Bay, and Galveston Bay.”

The storm is expected to hammer the coast with high winds beginning later tonight.

“Beryl is forecast to bring damaging hurricane-force winds to portions of the Texas coast late tonight and Monday,” the NWS warned. “A Hurricane Warning is now in effect from Baffin Bay to San Luis Pass. Preparations should be rushed to completion before tropical storm conditions begin late today.”

In addition to those warnings, the NWS also noted that “flash and urban flooding” is expected “across portions of the middle and upper Texas Gulf Coast and eastern Texas” until Monday night, and that river flooding was also likely.

The storm will also create a dangerous rip current along much of the Gulf Coast. Swimmers should pay attention to warning flags before entering the water in the Gulf.

White House: Biden monitoring Beryl’s development as it nears Texas

Sunday 7 July 2024 15:54 , Graig Graziosi

Joe Biden and administration officials are monitoring the development of Tropical Storm Beryl as it continues to churn toward southeast Texas.

“We are in close contact with our state and local counterparts and FEMA has prepositioned response personnel, search and rescue teams, bottled water, meals, tarps and electric generators in case they are needed. On Sunday, FEMA activated its National Response Coordination Center (NRCC) to further support local response efforts,” the White House said in a statement to pool reporters on Sunday.

WATCH: Googlebox stars stuck in Jamaica when Hurricane Beryl made landfall

Sunday 7 July 2024 14:30 , Graig Graziosi

Texas officials issue disaster declaration for 40 counties ahead of Beryl landfall

Sunday 7 July 2024 14:00 , Graig Graziosi

Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick — who is acting governor while Governor Greg Abbott is out of country traveling — has issued a disaster declaration for 40 counties ahead of Beryl’s landfall as an expected Category 1 hurricane.

The declaration allows state resources to be used in preperatory work and recovery efforts.

Abbott advised Texans living in the storm’s path to begin preparing now for the storm’s arrival.

Beryl hurricane, storm surge watches in effect across Texas and north coastal Mexico

Sunday 7 July 2024 13:00 , Graig Graziosi

The National Weather Service announced storm surge and hurricane wanrings for Texas’ east coast on Friday night.

Those warnings extend from the mouth of the Rio Grande to San Luis Pass further north.

Coastal Harris County is also under the warning.

The hurricane watch is in effect for Mexico’s northeastern coast between Barra el Mezquital to the mouth of the Rio Grande.

Hurricane season 2024 is here. Here’s how to stay prepared

Sunday 7 July 2024 11:00 , Graig Graziosi

Hurricane season is upon us, known for disastrous flooding and high-speed winds in coastal areas of the United States and in the Caribbean and Central America, and emergency management officials are urging people to stay prepared.

Unlike previous hurricane seasons, this summer brings record hot temperatures nationwide and an early onset of storms. Hurricane season runs June 1 to Nov. 30, but usually the most hurricanes occur in September and October, said Jaime Hernandez, the emergency management director for Hollywood, on Florida’s Atlantic Coast.

READ MORE:

Hurricane season 2024 is here. Here’s how to stay prepared

WATCH: Hurricane Beryl tears roof off school as storm rips through Caribbean

Sunday 7 July 2024 09:00 , Graig Graziosi

Texas residents given voluntary evacuation nudge

Sunday 7 July 2024 07:00 , Graig Graziosi

Officials in Matagorda County emergency management called for a voluntary evacuation on Friday night for residents living and visiting the state’s coast ahead of Beryl’s arrival on Sunday.

The voluntary evaucation includes residents in Sargent, Matagorda, and Palacios counties.

A voluntary evacuation is essentially a strong recommendation for residents to and visitors to seek shelter elsewhere until it is safe to return.

Rains from Beryl may stretch well into next week for Texans

Sunday 7 July 2024 04:59 , Graig Graziosi

When Storm Beryl arrives in Texas as a Category 1 hurricane, it is expected to bring 5-10 inches of rainfall, with some locations seeing as high as 15 inches.

The rain will most affect the eastern coast of Texas beginning later on Sunday and stretching into the middle of next week, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Along with the rain high winds, the storm will also bring a 2-5 foot storm surge to the coast.

WATCH: Mexican officials evacuated sea turtle eggs ahead of Beryl

Sunday 7 July 2024 04:00 , Graig Graziosi

Shocking aerial photos show widespread devastation after Hurricane Beryl moved through Caribbean

Sunday 7 July 2024 03:00 , Graig Graziosi

Hurricane Beryl: Aerial images show before and after of storm’s destruction

Sunday 7 July 2024 02:00 , Graig Graziosi

World Central Kitchen sends aid to Carriacou Island

World Central Kitchen, a disaster relief non-profit, has sent a support team to Grenada’s Carriacou Island in the wake of Beryl.

The storm “flattened” the island in half an hour on Monday, officials said, after it swept through the region as a Category 5 hurricane.

More than 10,000 sea turtle eggs were rescued from Mexico’s beach ahead of Hurricane Beryl

Sunday 7 July 2024 01:00 , Graig Graziosi

As Hurricane Beryl approached Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula this week, officials scrambled to evacuate an especially vulnerable group – sea turtle eggs.

Mexican officials moved to save the eggs on Wednesday ahead of the storm, which made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane near Tulum early Friday.

Officials relocated the eggs using sand-filled coolers and helped insulate their nests along the beach, the Associated Press reported. Storm surge and rises in sea level — conditions which Beryl and other storms cause — pose significant threats to sea turtle eggs, because they can’t hatch if they’re swept out to sea.

Read more:

Hurricane Beryl updates: Thousands of sea turtle eggs evacuated from Mexican beaches

Rapid analysis shows Beryl impacted by climate crisis

Sunday 7 July 2024 00:00 , Graig Graziosi

Beryl, which became a tropical storm after hitting Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, was made 10-30 percent more intense due to human-induced climate change, according to a rapid analysis study by Climameter.

Beryl’s higher intensity was also driven by natural weather patterns in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, according to the Climameter study.

Beryl made history the earliest recorded Category 5 hurricane this week.

“It’s really scary stuff,” Steve Maximay, a climate and agriculture expert in Grenada, previously told The Independent.

”When you talk about Category 4 and 5, there are very few systems or protocols that can prepare you for that,” Maximay continued. “You can have resilient buildings but category five winds can move concrete structures.”

Hurricane Beryl’s growth into a Category 5 storm can be partly attributed to record-warm ocean temperatures. High water temperatures can contribute to sea level rise and hurt marine life in addition to fueling strong storms like Hurricane Beryl. Ocean temperatures will likely continue to rise even if we curb greenhouse gas emissions, according to NOAA.

Island nations are at the front lines of the climate crisis, given their vulnerability to violent storms and sea-level rise.

The Alliance of Small Island States, an organization designed to create a unified voice for small island nations to address the ongoing climate crisis, denounced the climate crisis and its impact on island nations.

ICYMI: Plane flies into the eye of Beryl

Saturday 6 July 2024 23:00 , Graig Graziosi

Meteorologists warn of rip currents in the Gulf Coast

Saturday 6 July 2024 22:30 , Graig Graziosi

Residents on the coast should be cautious of the life-threatening rip currents that Storm Beryl will create, the National Weather Service said.