Topline
Tropical Storm Beryl made landfall in southeast Texas on Monday, flooding roadways, toppling trees and killing at least two people as it brought wind gusts and excessive rainfall to Houston and surrounding areas, which have experienced widespread power outages.
Key Facts
The storm has generated flash floods, sustained winds more than 80 miles per hour and is expected to bring five to 15 inches of rain in areas of eastern Texas tonight, according to the National Weather Service.
More than 2.2 million people in Houston are without power as of Monday afternoon, according to utility service CenterPoint Energy’s outage tracker.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez tweeted that deputies responded to two deaths Monday morning after trees fell on two separate residences.
Beryl is expected to weaken into Tuesday, when the NWS forecasts the storm will become a post-tropical cyclone—though the service notes that such cyclones can maintain heavy rains and high winds.
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Key Background
Beryl made landfall in Texas early Monday morning as a Category 1 storm after making its way through the Caribbean Islands and Mexico, where it killed an estimated 11 people. Beryl is the first named storm of this year’s hurricane season—one that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has said could be abnormally busy. The agency predicts as many as 25 named storms could materialize this season, about half of which could potentially develop into hurricanes.
Further Reading
Government Forecasters Issue Most Dire Hurricane Season Prediction In Their History—Here’s Why (Forbes)
Beryl Weakens To Tropical Storm After Making Landfall Along Texas Coast (Forbes)