Hurricane Beryl live updates: Texas braces for ‘deadly’ storm as it makes landfall near Houston

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 remained 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.

With maximum sustained winds increasing to nearly 75 mph (120 km/h), Beryl has been upgraded to a hurricane, said the National Hurricane Center.

The hurricane will further strength before landfall on the Texas coast on Monday, it added.

Beryl has been an extraordinary storm, setting records as the earliest category 5 hurricane ever documented.

It has caused significant destruction across the Caribbean, particularly affecting the islands of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Mayreau, Union, and Grenada.

Beryl was among the most powerful storms ever to strike Jamaica, leaving hundreds of thousands without electricity.

The National Weather Service is still predicting that Tropical Storm Beryl will hit Texas as a Category 1 hurricane on Monday morning.

This will make Beryl the first Atlantic hurricane to hit the US in the 2024 summer and fall hurricane season.

The Houston airport has said flight delays or cancellations are possible as Beryl approaches Texas.

It said even for flights departing to or arriving from destinations outside the storm’s direct path, “airlines may need to adjust flight schedules and routes due to the hurricane’s overall impact on their network”.

It urged people not to seek refuge at the airport during the storm.

“As the storm approaches and people plan to stay indoors and safe from the storm, we want to remind everyone that our airports are not equipped to serve as storm shelters. We lack the supplies and staff to accommodate people seeking refuge during the storm,” it said.