US alert: Category 2 Hurricane Beryl now hits Texas with 87 mph winds

Hurricane Beryl has made landfall as a Category 1 storm in the state of Texas in the early hours of Monday. This comes after the National Hurricane Center had warned Texas residents to brace for its arrival.

According to the NHC, Beryl has strengthened into a hurricane again and, therefore, the agency has issued a warning to over a million residents of the US state.

Hurricane Beryl was expected to reach Category 2 level before landfall, which means its wind speed can reach up to 110 mph (177 km/h). However, the BBC says the speed of winds reached 87 mph before landfall, making it a Category 1 hurricane.

Although this is significantly less than the Category 5 hurricane level, which it had achieved to wreak havoc across the south-eastern Caribbean islands a week ago, Beryl can still cause severe damage to infrastructure and wildlife.

Hurricane Beryl makes landfall

According to an article by the Associated Press , the hurricane has resulted in severe rains and flooding in the area.

According to the NHC , the center of Beryl was expected to make landfall on the middle Texas coast. Beryl was forecast to turn northeastward and move farther inland over eastern Texas and Arkansas late Monday and Tuesday.

NHC also stated that the Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft and coastal Doppler radar data indicate that maximum sustained winds have increased to near 80 mph (130 km/h) with higher gusts.

According to the NHC, the hurricane is expected to weaken after landfall.

The Texas administration is trying to evacuate people along the coastline and those living in low-lying areas. Moreover, it has asked those who are staying back to prepare for the impact of strong winds, flooding, and power outages that could happen due to infrastructure damage.

Hurricane Beryl is expected to make landfall between the cities of Galveston and Corpus Christi in Texas.

“There’s a very considerable risk of flash flooding across the Texas Gulf Coast, eastern Texas, ArkaTex [Arkansas-Texas] region,” according to Michael Brennan, the director of the US National Hurricane Center.

Acting Governor Dan Patrick has also asked residents not to ignore the storm and take the warnings in all seriousness, according to a report by the BBC .

Beryl’s havoc in the Caribbean

Beryl gained notoriety after, at one stage, it became the earliest Category Five hurricane ever recorded.

At least 11 people have lost their lives in the Caribbean islands owing to the havoc caused by it.

Beryl had downgraded to a tropical storm as it hit Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula after exiting Caribbean. However, thrice already it has gained 35 mph (56 km/h) in wind speed within 24 hours or less, which shows it has the potential for rapid intensification.

Moreover, Beryl’s swift transformation from a tropical depression to a major hurricane in just 42 hours is a rare phenomenon, only matched by six other Atlantic hurricanes. This accelerated development, earlier than the previous record on September 1, highlights the unprecedented nature of this storm.

Hurricane expert Sam Lillo noted that Beryl’s strength is attributed to record warm waters, which are unusually high for this time of year, typically seen during the peak hurricane season in September.

Beryl is also the earliest Category 4 Atlantic hurricane, surpassing Hurricane Dennis, which reached Category 4 status on July 8, 2005. Hurricane specialist and storm surge expert Michael Lowry emphasized that these warm waters, a consequence of the global climate crisis and fossil fuel combustion, significantly contributed to Beryl’s intensity.

Furthermore, Beryl is the earliest hurricane to form this far east in the tropical Atlantic since 1933, according to Philip Klotzbach, a hurricane expert from Colorado State University.

Beryl is the second named storm of this Atlantic hurricane season, which lasts from June 1 to November 30. Earlier this month, Tropical Storm Alberto, the first named storm, hit northeast Mexico, causing four deaths, as per the report by The Guardian .