National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
This satellite image, taken at 9:40pm EST on Friday, July 5, 2024, shows Tropical Storm Beryl moving into the Gulf of Mexico.
CNN
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Tropical Storm Beryl will strengthen as it moves toward the South Texas coast later this weekend, threatening to bring destructive winds, life-threatening storm surge and dangerous flooding to Texas starting late Sunday. It is expected to be the first storm to make landfall in the U.S. of the 2024 Atlantic season. Below are the latest updates.
• Beryl is expected to regain strength before making landfall. Beryl, now a tropical storm, has entered the Gulf of Mexico and was about 545 miles from Corpus Christi, Texas, on Saturday morning. The storm brought strong winds, torrential rains and a dangerous storm surge to much of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula after battering several Caribbean islands. Beryl is expected to strengthen again on Sunday, when it is expected to finally make landfall. In South Texas.
• Hurricane and Storm Surge Watches have been issued: Hurricane A storm surge watch was extended eastward along the Texas coast Friday night. A hurricane watch is in effect for the Texas coast from the mouth of the Rio Grande north to San Luis Pass. A storm surge watch is also in effect for the Texas coast from the Rio Grande north to High Island, including coastal Harris County. A hurricane watch is in effect for the northeastern Mexican coast from Barra el Mezquital to the mouth of the Rio Grande.
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• Beryl expected to hit South Texas: Beryl is forecast to make landfall near Corpus Christi as a Category 1 hurricane at noon Monday, according to the National Hurricane Center. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said the state will likely start to see Beryl’s impacts between Sunday and Monday. “We’re praying and hoping that we don’t get any more rain, but if we do get any rain, it could be very heavy,” Patrick said. “We’re preparing for the worst in the state.”
• Dangerous storm surges US Gulf Coast: Tropical storm forces will begin to be felt along the western Gulf Coast on Sunday, and are expected to become hurricane-force conditions later in the day. Storm surges of up to 5 feet are expected along the south Texas coast. Heavy rainfall of 5 to 10 inches is expected along the Texas Gulf Coast and eastern Texas late Sunday night through the middle of next week, with localized rainfall reaching 15 inches, according to the National Hurricane Center. Flash flooding and urban flooding are expected. Rip currents will cause life-threatening coastal conditions along much of the Gulf Coast through the weekend.
• At least nine people died from Beryl Beryl became the fastest Category 5 hurricane on record in the Atlantic earlier this week. The storm has killed at least nine people in the Caribbean, including two in Jamaica, three in Venezuela, three in Grenada and one in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
• Climate change is worsening beryl: The unusually warm waters that helped Beryl intensify mean this year’s hurricane season will be far from normal. A new rapid attribution analysis by Climameter found that Beryl’s damage to Jamaica was exacerbated by climate change. Modern storms like Beryl approaching Jamaica may bring 30% more rain and 10% stronger winds due to human-induced climate change compared to similar storms from 1979 to 2001, the study found.
• Ways to help those affected: Residents in Jamaica are assessing the damage caused by Beryl, which slammed the Caribbean island with destructive winds and a storm surge. The storm killed two people in Jamaica and left hundreds of thousands of homes without power. Beryl was the strongest storm to hit the country in over 15 years. Beryl also caused extensive damage across the region, including St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados, and Grenada. Several charities are actively distributing aid throughout the region. Donate to relief efforts here.
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Everton Evanks walks through his living room after the roof of his home was blown off by strong winds from Hurricane Beryl on Thursday, July 4, in St. Elizabeth Parish, Jamaica.
Fernando Llano/AP
Soldiers collect branches downed by Hurricane Beryl in Tulum, Mexico, on Friday.
Colin Reid/AP
People sit on cots on Thursday at the National Arena in Kingston, Jamaica, which served as a shelter after Hurricane Beryl.
Leo Hudson/AP
A ship damaged by Hurricane Beryl lies at a wharf in Kingston on Thursday.
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Simone Francis collects items from her home that were blown away by Hurricane Beryl in Old Harbour, Jamaica, on Thursday.
Paola Ciomante/Reuters
Yachts were anchored in Nichupté Lagoon in Cancun, Mexico, on Thursday in preparation for Beryl’s attack.
Marco Bello/Reuters
A man walks next to a fallen tree in Kingston, Jamaica on Thursday.
Marco Bello/Reuters
A car drives near a storm damage site in Kingston on Wednesday.
Jose Luis Gonzalez/Reuters
Workers install wooden panels to cover glass doors at a hotel in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, on Wednesday.
Lucan Ollivierre/AP
Evacuees from Union Island will arrive in Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, on Tuesday.
Arthur Daniel/Reuters
A home was damaged in Petite Martinique on Tuesday.
Samir Aponte/Reuters
People walk near a damaged vehicle in Cumanacor, Venezuela, on Tuesday.
Ricardo Hernandez/AP
Waves from Hurricane Beryl crashed over a seawall in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on Tuesday.
Lucan Ollivierre/AP
Pastor Winston Alleyne clears trees downed by Hurricane Beryl in St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Tuesday.
Ricardo Mazarin/AP
Fishing boats damaged by Hurricane Beryl pile up at the Bridgetown Fisheries Plant in Barbados on Monday.
Ricardo Mazarin/AP
Sylvia Small waits to enter the Bridgetown Fisheries jetty to assess damage to her boat in Barbados on Monday.
Matthew Dominik/NASA
NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick shared a photo of the hurricane from space on Monday, saying seeing it on camera “gave me both an eerie feeling and a bit of weather nerd excitement,” he wrote in a post by X.
Chandan Khanna/AFP/Getty Images
Members of the Barbadian Armed Forces clear sand from a road in Oistins, Barbados, on Monday.
Randy Brooks/AFP/Getty Images
A man drains water from a damaged restaurant in Hastings, Barbados, on Monday.
Joe Raedl/Getty Images
Brad Reinhart, a senior hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, was tracking Hurricane Beryl on Monday.
Gilbert Bellamy/Reuters
People stand in line for groceries in Kingston, Jamaica, on Monday as beryl approaches.
Chandan Khanna/AFP/Getty Images
A man boarded up a store window in Bridgetown, Barbados, on Sunday.
Texas officials are urging residents to prepare for Beryl’s expected landfall along the coast later this weekend.
“All coastal residents should remain vigilant with this storm,” Lt. Governor Patrick said at a press conference Friday.
Several coastal Texas counties have already urged residents to evacuate due to the potentially dangerous conditions that Beryl could bring, and Texas Governor Greg Abbott has also issued a severe weather disaster declaration for 40 counties as the state experiences “heavy rainfall, flooding and strong tropical winds.”
Matagorda County issued a voluntary evacuation order ahead of Beryl’s arrival, the county’s emergency operations center announced on social media. The order asks residents to voluntarily evacuate coastal areas of the county, including Sargent, Matagorda and Palacios.
The Aransas County Emergency Management Office is also urging people to evacuate on their own.
“Please take all precautions to prepare your family for this potentially dangerous weather event. Residents in low-lying areas, those with special needs and those living in recreational vehicles should begin voluntary evacuation immediately,” the county posted on Facebook.
In Kleberg County, Judge Rudy Madrid issued a “voluntary evacuation order for Baffin Bay, Loyola Beach and all low-lying areas,” according to a social media post from the City of Kingsville.
Nueces County Judge Connie Scott urged residents living in low-lying coastal areas and those in need of assistance to evacuate because the storm could make landfall in the area as a hurricane, the county posted on social media.
The National Weather Service in Corpus Christi is warning residents that “now is the time to prepare” as Tropical Storm Beryl’s predicted path points further north along the Texas coast.
“Residents really should be aware that tropical storm force winds are forecast to arrive Sunday afternoon,” Corpus Christi Mayor Paulette Guajardo said Friday.
Guajardo urged people visiting the city over the Independence Weekend to “consider returning earlier if you feel it is necessary.”
In Houston, the National Weather Service is similarly urging people to remain vigilant.
“At this time, the primary impact for Southeast Texas is increased rainfall (Monday/Tuesday) and the possibility of tropical storm-force winds (34 knots) as early as Sunday morning. Please continue to stay vigilant and informed,” the weather service posted on X.
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