Storm likely to reach Texas as hurricane

Editor’s note: Read USA TODAY’s live coverage of Beryl on Sunday, July 7, including the storm’s track toward Texas.

Beryl, once a hurricane and now a tropical storm, is expected to regain hurricane strength before reaching the south Texas coast late Sunday or early Monday, the National Hurricane Center said Saturday.

The storm weakened after making landfall on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on Friday morning after ripping through the Caribbean and Jamaica earlier this week, killing at least 11 people.

“This is a determined storm that is still strong,” Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said at a press conference on Friday.

As of 4 p.m. local time, Beryl was located about 385 miles southeast of Corpus Christi in the Gulf of Mexico, moving west-northwest at 13 mph. It was expected to continue moving northwest through Sunday, then north-northwest through Sunday night, and make landfall on the Texas coast on Monday after re-strengthening into a Category 1 hurricane.

On Saturday, Beryl’s winds reached up to 60 miles per hour, with even stronger gusts.

Hurricane, tropical storm and storm surge warnings were issued along the Texas Gulf Coast on Saturday, the hurricane center said. Storm surge in Texas could reach heights of up to 6 feet from Mesquite Bay to Sargent and Matagorda Bay.

Tornadoes are possible on Sunday and rainfall is forecast to range from 12 to 25 centimeters, with up to 38 centimeters in some areas.

“This rain is likely to cause sudden flash flooding and urban flooding, some of which could be locally significant,” the hurricane center said. “Minor to isolated moderate river flooding is also possible.”

Beryl Tracker:See projected path, spaghetti models of the road to Texas

A breathtaking storm:As Hurricane Beryl sweeps through the Caribbean, a look at its record-breaking path

Important developments:

∎ Authorities said at least 11 people were killed in Jamaica, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and northern Venezuela as Beryl swept through the country. No one was injured in Mexico.

∎ Beryl, the first hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic season, was the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record. Due to its rapid intensification, Beryl became a hurricane within 24 hours of its formation. Within the next 24 hours, its winds had increased by 55 mph, reaching 130 mph, nearly equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane.

∎ Schools near the Texas coast canceled classes Monday, including the Corpus Christi and West Oso school districts. Del Mar College will close its campus Monday, while Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi is moving to remote learning.

How sea temperatures powered Beryl:Hurricane strengthened by warm seas

“Before the rush,” says the hardware store owner

Shop now, not later. That’s what Raoul Martinez, owner of a hardware store in Corpus Christi, Texas, reminded his customers on Saturday as Beryl turned toward the city.

“CHARGE ALL BATTERIES in your household,” Martinez posted early Saturday on the Facebook page “No Hassle Tools and More.” “Have a chainsaw ready to cut away all the debris. Trim your lawn now so it doesn’t grow like crazy. Tie down children’s play areas and animal houses.”

Concerned but calm customers were shopping for everyday necessities, he told USA TODAY. Martinez promised his store would stay open during the storm as long as he could get there safely.

“There are people who are going to be in need, and we’ll never know until it happens,” he said. “I have tools for everything, and I want to be available to people, and that’s OK with me.”

Martinez encouraged people to be prepared and not wait.

“To avoid the rush,” Martinez said. “Many of our small business owners are taking the time, and there are small stores that sell water and sandbags. I’m staying open for people, at least.”

Some Texas residents called for evacuation before the storm

Voluntary evacuations occurred in some counties along the Texas coast.

Aransas County urged residents to evacuate, but made it voluntary. Emergency officials there said anyone living in a mobile home should evacuate, as well as people in low-lying areas.

Matagorda County warned residents that the storm’s floodwaters could trap them in their homes and called for voluntary evacuations of the county’s coastal areas.

“The greatest concern in this situation is the coastal areas of our district. Low-lying areas that are normally flooded are also affected,” the district said in a press release on Friday.

Sandbags were distributed in the town of Kingsville in Kleberg County, while a voluntary evacuation was underway in Baffin Bay, Loyola Beach and all low-lying areas of the county.

Beryl’s effects could be felt in Texas on Saturday

As Beryl strengthens over the Gulf of Mexico, Texans will feel its effects as early as Saturday before its arrival, according to meteorologists.

“The exact location where Beryl will make landfall is currently unknown. Most importantly, heavy rains, strong winds and storm surge are expected from this evening through Sunday along much of the state’s coast and parts of the central Gulf Coast,” the Weather Forecast Center said early Saturday.

Swells caused by the storm as well as “life-threatening” surf and current conditions are also not far away.

The tropical storm is expected to reach the Texas coast on Sunday evening.

Which areas in Texas are in Beryl’s path?

Several major metropolitan areas in Texas, including Houston, Austin, and San Antonio, are in the storm’s broad projection path, and it’s still unclear exactly where the hurricane will pass through. Most of the state will feel at least some impacts from the storm.

The weather service in Corpus Christi also said that South Texas should prepare for power outages.

Coastal areas are expected to experience a storm surge of 3 to 5 feet, and “the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves,” the hurricane center said. The storm surge will affect areas from Baffin Bay to San Luis Pass, Corpus Christi Bay, Matagorda Bay, between the mouth of the Rio Grande and Baffin Bay, San Luis Pass to High Island, and Galveston Bay.

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