As Tropical Storm Beryl makes its way up the Gulf of Mexico, Texas is bracing itself for the storm to make landfall as a Category 1 hurricane on its coast, with several counties issuing evacuation notices and over a million residents under a hurricane warning early Sunday morning.
The storm, which has set records as the earliest Category 4 and 5 hurricane to form in the Atlantic Ocean, flattened islands in the Caribbean and left several dead this past week. After making landfall in Mexico, Beryl weakened to a tropical storm. But it is expected to strengthen to a Category 1 hurricane before making landfall again on Texas’ shores on Monday morning.
Beryl had maximum sustained winds of 60 miles per hour as it crossed the Gulf of Mexico early Sunday, according to the National Hurricane Center, and could bring damaging hurricane-force winds, life-threatening storm surge and heavy rains to the southern and central parts of the Texas coast. The center predicts that tropical storm conditions will begin Sunday night, with hurricane conditions possible by early Monday.
Forecasters say the storm could dump five to 10 inches of rainfall across portions of the Gulf Coast and eastern Texas; some areas could get as much as 15 inches. Storm surge could raise water levels by up to six feet. Corpus Christi is one of the cities most at risk, and it could be battered by damaging winds of 58 miles per hour or greater as early as Sunday afternoon.
Texas officials are preparing for the storm’s impact, with the state having issued a disaster declaration for 121 counties. The declaration enables state resources to assist in local preparation and recovery efforts.
The Texas Division of Emergency Management has also readied the National Guard, search and rescue teams and other emergency responders ahead of the storm.
“Do not ignore this storm,” warned Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick of Texas, who is acting as governor while Gov. Greg Abbott is out of the country.
Some counties have already issued evacuation notices. Matagorda County announced a voluntary evacuation for its coastal areas that took effect Friday night, meaning residents were highly encouraged to evacuate but not required. On Saturday afternoon, Refugio County ordered a mandatory evacuation for all residents, which meant they must evacuate effective immediately.
Storm conditions are expected to arrive at the tail end of the Fourth of July weekend, which could pose additional risks, as some Texans have traveled to the coast for the holiday. In Galveston, about 50 miles south of Houston, an official said the island city was expecting up to half a million people over the holiday weekend — while simultaneously bracing for a storm surge that the city’s sea wall, built in 1903, may do little to protect against.
Though Beryl has broken records with its timing, Texas is no stranger to hurricanes and tropical storms. Hurricane Harvey, which struck Texas and Louisiana in 2017, was among the worst disasters the state has faced in recent years. In Texas, it killed dozens of people, set records for flooding and caused over $100 billion in damage. More recently, in September 2021, Hurricane Nicholas made landfall in Texas, downing trees and knocking out power for hundreds of thousands of customers.
Forecasters are already predicting an intense hurricane season. They say Beryl’s rapid escalation to a Category 5 hurricane last week was fueled by unusually warm ocean temperatures — a bad sign for the rest of the summer, as the same temperatures could exacerbate future hurricanes.
There are signs that climate change is affecting the nature of hurricanes. Researchers have found that climate change has increased the frequency of major hurricanes, because warmer ocean temperatures provide more energy that fuels these storms. It is also making hurricanes intensify faster and produce more rain with a higher storm surge.
In the wake of the storm, which barreled through Venezuela, Jamaica and Grenada, Caribbean leaders have already called for more action on climate change from Western countries.
Emily Schmall contributed reporting.