At 4 am early this morning, Hurricane Beryl officially made landfall in Texas near Matagorda Bay with winds of 80 mph according to the National Hurricane Center. Beryl is the first Atlantic hurricane of the 2024 season to make landfall in the United States.
Previously designated as a tropical storm, Hurricane Beryl has been upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane. While the lowest on the scale of hurricanes (1 – 5), the storm carries consistent winds from 74 to 95 mph. Forecasters expect that the hurricane will cause wind damage, power outages, and possible flash floods. Reports of rainfall up to 10 inches is also predicted along the Texas Gulf Coast.
A hurricane warning is presently in effect in Matagorda Bay, encompassing the area between Port Bolivar to Mesquite Bay. The National Hurricane Center reports a storm surge of up to 7 feet in the area.
“This is a life-threatening situation. Persons located within these areas should take all necessary actions to protect life and property from rising water and the potential for other dangerous conditions,” The National Hurricane Center said.
Surfline reported waves of up to 10 feet high in Galveston on Sunday night.
According to CNN Weather, the storm has already resulted in power outages of over one million Houston residents.
There is presently a Flash Flood Warning and Tornado Watch in effect in eight Houston-area counties until 10 am on Monday, July 8:
- Brazoria
- Chambers
- Fort Bend
- Galveston
- Harris
- Liberty
- Matagorda
- Montgomery
Forecasters predict that the strength of hurricane Beyre is set to wane over the next 12 hours, stepping down into a tropical storm has it continues its path into north and eastern Texas. At its height, Beyre was classified as a Category 5 Hurricane as it tore through the Carribbean before reaching the Gulf of Mexico.
Stay tuned for more details.