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HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) - Beryl is a weakened shadow of its former self. What was a ferocious hurricane a week again ravaging parts of the Caribbean turned into a wind driven, rain-soaked tempest as it crossed the Southern Texas coast on Monday.

Peak winds at landfall were estimated at 85 mph per the National Hurricane Center. Those winds were comparable to the wet microbursts and tornadic swirls we went through in April and May. To distinguish, our winds blew for the order of 15 minutes while today’s Lone Star gales lasted a few hours.

NBC Nightly News reported a few million are without power in southeastern Texas.

Now that Beryl is inland, her winds are diminishing as she makes the transition to a rainstorm. Trusty but fickle computer models (our primary forecast mode) have homed in on a boomerang of heavy rains from Houston to Memphis to Indianapolis to Detroit while leaving our area with a minimal amount of rain. Tony’s tracks Beryl and shows why we need to be watering our plants and landscapes during the heat of July.