Beryl weakens to tropical storm while moving through Texas

July 8 (UPI) -- Tropical Storm Beryl threatened Texas Monday with storm surge, flooding and powerful winds after making landfall as a Category 1 storm.

Beryl was packing maximum sustained winds of 70 mph, the National Hurricane Center said in its 10 a.m. CDT Monday update . The storm was located 20 miles west-northwest of Houston, the NHC said.

It was moving north-northeast at about 13 mph.

A tropical storm warning was issued for the Texas coast from north of Port O'Connor northward to Sabine Pass and

A storm surge warning was in effect for Port O'Connor to Sabine Pass, including Matagorda Bay and Galveston Bay.

Beryl is forecast to bring with it a "dangerous storm surge, flash flooding and strong winds," the NHC said.

After making landfall, "significant weakening is expected" as it turns northeastward and moves farther inland over eastern Texas and Arkansas late Monday and Tuesday.

Beryl was the first storm to make U.S. landfall during the 2024 hurricane season, which began on June 1. It was also the earliest Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic on record.

Rainfall of 5 to 10 inches with a localized amount of 15 inches is expected across portions of the Texas Gulf Coast and eastern Texas beginning late Sunday through the middle of next week.

Since 1850, more than 50 hurricanes have made landfall in Texas .

The last one was when Nicholas, a Category 1 hurricane, came ashore in Matagorda County in 2021.

Beryl made landfall about 5 north of Tulum in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula at 6:05 a.m. Friday as a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph. Around 1,170 temporary shelters were installed in the area, according to a news release Thursday from the state's government.

At least nine people have died from Beryl: two in Jamaica, three in Venezuela, three in Grenada and one person in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.