Hurricane Beryl blasts ashore along the southeast coast of Texas bringing flooding rain, storm surge, and tornadoes
The second-named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, hurricane Beryl, brought heavy rain, damaging winds, and a significant storm surge as it came ashore along the southeast Texas coast. It will now sweep heavy rain northward.
The second-named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, hurricane Beryl, brought heavy rain, damaging winds, and a significant storm surge as it came ashore along the southeast Texas coast.
Beryl swept onshore near Matagorda, about 100 miles southwest of Houston, early in the morning as a category one hurricane with maximum sustained winds around 80 mph. The storm whipped up wind gusts as strong as 85 mph in Matagorda.
Beryl claims the lives of at least two people
So far, two deaths have been reported in the Houston area from the storm. A tree fell onto the home of a 74-year-old woman, killing her, according to the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable’s Office. The other victim was a 53-year-old man riding out the storm when a tree fell into his house, killing him.
Within thirty minutes of landfall, more than 300,000 people had lost power. By noon, more than 2 million people had lost power in eastern Texas.
The National Hurricane Center downgraded Beryl to a tropical storm late in the morning. By 10 AM, the maximum sustained winds had diminished to 70 mph, just below the threshold of a hurricane. Their key messages for the storm included a warning for “life-threateneing storm surge inundation” to continue through the afternoon for portions of the coastline in eastern Texas.
Severe winds cause problems for travelers in Houston
The strongest wind gusts by early afternoon were between 50 to 60 mph in and around Houston. Both major airports were buffeted by Beryl’s severe winds earlier in the day. William P. Hobby Airport had a gust of 84 mph, and George Bush Intercontinental Airport reported a gust of 82 mph. There were multiple cancelations and delays for air travelers.
The city and surrounding suburbs were under a flash flood warning until early afternoon when 4 to 10 inches of rain had already fallen. Doppler radar rainfall estimates were as high as more than a foot of rain south of Houston.
Beryl spawned several tornadoes in southeast Texas
Several tornado warnings were posted along Beryl's path. The Storm Prediction Center had at least two reports of tornados by noon. A Texas Emergency Management director told the National Weather Service that a tornado had struck the city of Jasper. There were reports of damage to apartments in the western part of the town, with search and rescue efforts undertaken.
The storm should weaken through the afternoon and eventually become a tropical depression late Monday or early Tuesday morning. The storm's remnants will nudge northeastward, bringing heavy rains and possible flooding through parts of the Missouri and Tennessee Valley regions. The torrential rains will move into the Midwest and Ohio Valley by Wednesday.