Tropical Storm Beryl is expected to make landfall on the Texas coast as a hurricane early Monday and is forecast to bring life-threatening storm surge and damaging winds, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The storm, which was a Category 4 hurricane when it devastated parts of the Caribbean island nations of Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, had weakened to a Category 2 by the time it made landfall Friday on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. It weakened to a tropical storm as it moved across the peninsula.
Beryl is expected to strengthen back into a hurricane later Sunday, and will continue intensifying overnight before it reaches the Texas coast, the hurricane center said. The storm is forecast to bring “life-threatening” storm surge up to 6 feet and “damaging hurricane-force winds” to an area along the coast from Padre Island National Seashore to Sabine Pass.
Flash flooding is also possible along parts of the middle and northern Texas coast, inland to eastern Texas through Monday night.
“Rip currents will cause life-threatening beach conditions through Monday across much of the Gulf Coast,” the hurricane center said in an update Sunday. “Beachgoers should heed warning flags and the advice of lifeguards and local officials before venturing into the water.”
Tropical storm-strength winds are first expected to reach the Texas coast as early as Sunday night. Rainfall of up to 15 inches is possible along parts of the middle and upper Texas coast and eastern Texas starting Sunday into Monday night, which may cause flash flooding.
A combination of storm surge and tide might bring dangerous flooding to normally dry areas near the coast, the center said. Matagorda Bay and the area from Mesquite Bay to San Luis Pass could see 4 to 6 feet of storm surge, while Galveston Bay could see 3 to 5 feet.
“The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to the right of the center, where the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves,” the hurricane center said. “Surge-related flooding depends on the relative timing of the surge and the tidal cycle, and can vary greatly over short distances.”
Troopers from the Texas Department of Public Safety were filling sandbags in south Texas for residents Friday in preparation for Beryl. A TikToker shared images of houses with boarded-up windows in south Texas.
The Houston Independent School District announced that it is closing all campuses Monday and Tuesday due to Beryl.
Currently, Beryl is 195 miles southeast of Corpus Christi, Texas, with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph and higher gusts. It’s moving northwestward at around 10 mph and is expected to take a turn to the north Sunday afternoon, according to the hurricane center.
“Beryl is forecast to turn northeastward and move farther inland over eastern Texas and Arkansas late Monday and Tuesday,” the center said.
A hurricane warning is in effect for the Texas coast from San Luis Pass down to Baffin Bay, and a hurricane watch is in effect from Galveston Island to the pass.
A storm surge warning was issued for the coast from Padre Island National Seashore to Sabine Pass, including Corpus Christi Bay, Matagorda Bay and Galveston Bay.
Tangni Noriega contributed.