Topline
Tropical Storm Beryl, which killed at least 11 people in the Caribbean before heading toward Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, strengthened Sunday for the first time in days as it barreled through the Gulf of Mexico toward Texas, which it is expected to hit early Monday after as a Category 1 hurricane.
Key Facts
The storm’s maximum sustained winds increased to 65 mph Sunday and are expected to keep getting stronger until it regains its hurricane status (winds of 74 mph or higher) later in the day.
It’s the first time Beryl has grown stronger since Thursday, when it was a Category 3 hurricane.
Beryl is expected to hit the Texas coast Monday as a Category 1 hurricane, bringing strong winds and a storm surge that will push tides to “normally dry areas near the coast.”
After making landfall near the middle Texas coast early Monday, the storm is expected to turn northeast and move further inland toward east Texas and Arkansas before continuing north and bringing rains to the Midwest, Michigan and western New York by Thursday.
A hurricane warning is in effect along the Texas coast from Baffin Bay to San Luis Pass, and hurricane watches cover north of San Luis Pass to Galveston Island. Tropical storm warnings and storm surge watches cover much of the rest of the coast.
Texas officials have called for voluntary evacuations in Brazoria and Galveston counties, and mandatory visitor evacuations have been issued for the popular vacation destination of Port Aransas.
Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We’re launching text message alerts so you’ll always know the biggest stories shaping the day’s headlines. Text “Alerts” to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here.
Key Background
Hurricane Beryl was the first hurricane of the season and made history as the earliest Category 4 and then earliest Category 5 to form on record in the Atlantic basin. The storm, then a Category 4 hurricane, battered Jamaica and other smaller Caribbean islands over several days and at least 11 people were killed across the region, according to Reuters. After moving away from Jamaica early Thursday, Beryl dumped rain on the Cayman Islands and moved toward the Yucatán Peninsula, where it made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane before being downgraded to a tropical storm. Cancún and Tulum were hit with heavy rains but no major damage was reported.
Tangent
As the Earth warms, stronger hurricanes are becoming more common. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration earlier this year warned of an extremely active 2024 hurricane season and predicted there will be between 17 and 25 named tropical storms before the end of the hurricane season on Nov. 30. If forecasts are correct, it would be one of the most active hurricane seasons in history—well above the 30-year average of just over 14 named storms per year.
Further Reading