Beryl makes landfall on Texas coast as ‘deadly’ storm strengthens into a hurricane: Live updates

Galveston announced on Sunday it will close all of its public facilities to prepare for the arrival of Tropical Storm Beryl, which is expected to make landfall as a Category 1 hurricane in southeast Texas on Monday morning.

“Out of an abundance of caution, City facilities will be closed on Monday and only essential personnel will report to work,” the city said in a Facebook post. “The recreation centers, public buildings, municipal court, and City Hall will all be closed Monday.”

The closures will not affect police, fire and emergency services, according to the city. Public work crews addressing storm-related infrastructure will also still be operating.

The city said that public buildings should re-open on Tuesday.

Hurricane Beryl is moving inland over eastern Texas, with heavy rainfall battering the region.

Beryl is now 70 miles (115km) south-southwest of Houston, Texas as of 5am CDT, and is currently producing life-threatening storm surge and heavy rainfall across portions of Texas.

Damaging winds are hammering the coast of Texas, with strong winds also moving inland.

Hurricane Beryl has made landfall in the middle of the Texas coast Monday morning, bringing with it maximum sustained winds of 80mph.

Now that Beryl has reached the United States, the National Hurricane Center expects the center of Beryl to move over eastern Texas today before moving through the Lower Mississippi Valley into the Ohio Valley on Tuesday and Wednesday.

However, as Beryl makes its journey, the weather experts predict that the Hurricane will experience steady to rapid weakening as the center moves inland.

With that, Beryl is expected to weaken into a tropical storm later today and then into a tropical depression on Tuesday.

As Hurricane Beryl made landfall early Monday morning, an estimated 199,295 customers in Texas were experiencing some form of power outage as of 5.56am ET, according to poweroutage.us, however, this number could potentially keep on increasing.

In Matagorda, where Beryl made landfall around 4am, over 12,000 Texans are currency without power.

The neighboring coastal county of Brazoria currently has over 21,000 with their power out.

The number of people experiencing power outages and disturbances is rapidly increasing by the minute as Hurricane Beryl moves inland in The Lone Star State.

A multitude of warnings have been delivered to residents of Texas before Hurricane Beryl made landfall on Monday morning along the Texas coast.

A Hurricane Warning is currently in place for the Texas coast from Mesquite Bay northward to Port Bolivar, and a Tropical Storm Warning has been given to the Texas coast north of Port Bolivar to Sabine Pass.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has been cautioning about the severity of storm surge in the area, meaning there is a “danger of life-threatening inundation” from rising water moving inland from the coastline.

A Storm Surge Warning is in effect for Mesquite Bay to Sabine Pass, including Matagorda Bay and Galveston Bay.

The NHC is urging people located within these areas to take action to protect life and property from the rising water and to follow any potential evacuation and all other instructions from local officials.

The NHC says that water could reach the following heights above ground somewhere in the indicated areas if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide:

Port O’Connor, TX to San Luis Pass, TX: 4-7 ft

San Luis Pass, TX to High Island, TX: 4-6 ft

Mesquite Bay, TX to Port O’Connor, TX: 3-5 ft

High Island, TX to Sabine Pass, TX: 3-5 ft

The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to the right of the center. The surge could also bring large and destructive waves and potential flooding.

“Residents sheltering in place should take precautions right away for sustained wind, heavy rain, flooding, storm surges on the coast, and possible tornados,” Acting Texas Governor Dan Patrick said on Sunday.

“It is of utmost importance that Texans pay close attention to their local officials. As Acting Governor, I am in constant communication with state agencies and will continue to do so. Do not ignore this very serious storm.”

The center of Bery has made landfall near Matagorda, Texas, the National Hurricane Center said at 4am CDT Monday morning.

Beryl’s maximum sustained winds have reed at 80mph (130km/h), meaning that it has made landfall as a Category 1 Hurricane.

Beryl is currently 85 miles (135km) south-southwest of Houston, Texas.

Beryl is forecast to make landfall as a hurricane along the middle Texas coast during the next hour or two as the storm draws near.

After strengthening back into a Category 1 hurricane, Beryl is packing maximum sustained winds of 80mph (130km/h) as it approaches the middle Texas coast.

In the National Hurricane Center’s 3am CDT update, Beryl was around 15 miles (25km) south-southeast of Matagorda, Texas.

Matagorda City recently reported a sustained wind of 68 mph (109 km/h) and a gust of 86 mph (139 km/h).

“Life-threatening storm surge and heavy rainfall is ongoing across portions of Texas,” the National Hurricane Center has warned. “Sustained tropical-storm-force winds and hurricane-force wind gust have already been reported along the coast, these winds will continue to spread inland.

The National Hurricane Center said on Sunday that Tropical Storm Beryl was picking up strength on its approach to Texas, and could make landfall as a Category 2 hurricane.

The storm currently has maximum sustained winds of 65mph, according to the NHC.

Some of the storm’s outer rain bands are beginning to reach the southeast coast of Texas, bringing brief heavy rains and thunderstorms to the region.

Beryl is expected to reach hurricane strength later today.

“We are expecting Beryl to be intensifying up until landfall early Monday, and people should be preparing for the possibility of a category 2 hurricane landfall,” the NHC said in its 11am statement.