July 8, 2024, Hurricane Beryl news

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Beryl brought more than 13 inches of rain to a few parts of the Houston area over the last 48 hours — a remarkable amount in such a short time for the area, which averages around 15 inches in the summertime (June, July and August).

Here are some notable 48-hour rainfall totals in the Houston area as of Monday night: 

Also, the 48-hour rainfall totals at two major Houston airports — the William P. Hobby Airport (5.59 inches) and the George Bush Intercontinental Airport (4.98 inches) — both exceeded the airports’ average July rainfall. 

Looking ahead: What is left of Beryl will move quickly to the northeast out of Texas and into Arkansas by early Tuesday. The storm will move into Indiana by Wednesday and into Canada by Thursday morning. 

Flood watches are in effect for more than 8 million people from eastern Texas to southern Illinois, and will largely expire on Tuesday. The heaviest rainfall through early Tuesday is expected for northeastern Texas, northwestern Louisiana, southeastern Oklahoma and much of Arkansas. Rainfall rates up to 3 inches per hour are possible. 

Rainfall totals of 3-5 inches (or more, in places) are expected across portions of far southeastern Oklahoma, Arkansas and southern Missouri through Tuesday. Generally, 2-4 inches of rain are expected across the rest of Missouri and into Illinois through Wednesday morning. Locally, considerable flash and urban flooding is possible.

Texas-based utility CenterPoint Energy said it expects to restore power for 1 million customers by the end of Wednesday.

More than 1.8 million CenterPoint customers were without power as of 9:46 p.m. CT Monday, about 17 hours after Beryl made landfall in Texas, according to the utility’s website.

Statewide, more than 2.4 million customers of multiple energy companies remained without power, according to PowerOutage.us.

Power to about 285,000 CenterPoint customers had been restored as of 8 p.m. CT, the utility said.

Three people have died in Texas’ Montgomery County as a result of Hurricane Beryl, county officials said.

That raises Beryl’s US death toll to at least eight.

A man in his 40s was in a tractor when a tree fell and struck him in the eastern part of the county. The other two killed were a man and a woman who “were discovered in a tent in a wooded area in Magnolia,” county officials said Monday.

Further details about the deaths were not available.

Beryl has also killed four in Texas’ Harris County, including two in Houston; and one in Louisiana.

The storm also killed at least nine other people as it barreled through the Caribbean and Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula last week.

This post has been updated with additional information.

Wildlife Center of Texas specialists worked to rescue the birds on Monday.

Many egrets were “seriously impacted” by Hurricane Beryl in northwestern Houston, including hundreds that fell out of nests and drowned, and hundreds more in need of rescue, an animal cruelty prevention society said.

Specialists with the Wildlife Center of Texas, a subsidiary of the Houston Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, were on the scene “to rescue the injured and orphaned egrets that have survived,” the society said Monday.

The society had already been caring for nearly 1,000 animals ahead of the storm.

Hundreds of egrets were seriously affected by Hurricane Beryl when it ripped through a northwestern Houston neighborhood near the city of Cypress.

The surviving birds will be transported to the Wildlife Center of Texas campus for medical care.

President Joe Biden has called Houston Mayor John Whitmire to express condolences for the deaths caused by Hurricane Beryl.

He reassured the mayor that “Texans have the resources they need to get through the storm now, and to recover going forward,” according to the White House.

The US Coast Guard and FEMA are on the ground to support local response efforts, the White House said.

It could take up to two weeks for power to be fully restored in the coastal Texas city of Galveston, the city said Monday evening.

The CenterPoint Energy utility is “working diligently and around the clock to fix lines and restore power,” the post reads.

Galveston is an island city situated along Texas’ Gulf Coast.

Beryl produced wind gusts up to 78 mph, 4 inches of rain and high tides in the area, the post reads.

The US Coast Guard released aerial images after it assessed the damage that coastal areas in Texas suffered from Beryl on Monday.

Here’s what it looks like:

Surfside, Texas

Flooded boat storage in Sargent, Texas.

The Coast Guard assessed damage from Beryl during flight from Corpus Christi to Galveston.

Flooding near Galveston, Texas.

Storm damage seen in Timpson, Texas on Monday, July 8.

The East Texas town of Timpson has been left without electricity after a tornado tore through the middle of the town Monday afternoon, according to local officials. 

The outage affects Timpson’s population of around 1,200 residents.

The tornado, high winds and rain left vehicles hanging on power lines, according to Shelby County Sheriff’s Office Precinct 5 Constable Josh Tipton. 

Mayor pro tem Charleston Johnson says he was in his restaurant when the tornado hit the town. 

One person in Louisiana has died after a tree fell on her home in Bossier Parish, the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post, adding that they received numerous reports of storm damage Monday afternoon.

The sheriff’s office received numerous reports of storm damage Monday afternoon, the post says.

This is the fifth reported death in the US due to Beryl. Four deaths have also been reported in Texas.

Bossier Parish is located around 270 miles northeast of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, close to the state’s border with Texas.

Beryl has weakened to a tropical depression with 35 mph sustained winds, according to the 8 p.m. advisory from the National Hurricane Center (NHC)

All tropical storm and storm surge warnings have been discontinued, however, “Beryl continues to produce flooding rains and the risk of tornadoes across portions of eastern Texas, western Louisiana, and Arkansas,” the NHC said.

Hurricane Beryl has killed at least four people in Texas, officials said.

Two people died in Houston, according to John Whitmire, the city’s mayor.

“Lost someone to fire in southeast Houston due to lightning, we believe it’s storm-related,” he said at a news conference Monday.

Whitmire added another person who worked for the Houston Police Department was also killed.

The other two people killed were in Harris County, according to local officials. One was a 74-year-old woman, the constable in Harris County’s Precinct 4 said in a Facebook post. She was killed when a tree fell on her house, the constable said.

The other fatality attributed to the storm in Harris County also happened when a tree fell on the home of a 53-year-old man, according to the sheriff’s office.

Fallen power lines seen pm Galveston Island as a result of Hurricane Beryl on Monday, July 8.

The chairman of the Public Utility Commission of Texas said it will take several days to restore power to the millions of people across the state who are in the dark Monday night.

Thomas Gleeson said at a news conference that officials and utility companies are in the “assessment phase” after Beryl hit the southern part of the state with rain and high winds.

This means the companies will go out and look at the damage to decide when it is safe enough for crews to go out to start restoring power.

“This will be a multi-day restoration effort,” Gleeson said at a news conference.

He asked for people to be patient and not to approach any downed power lines.

“It’s going to take a few days for this to get restored,” he said.

Whitmire speaks during a press conference on Monday, July 8

The mayor of Houston, Texas, said he does not have power — like millions of others across the state — after Beryl plowed through the area on Monday.

“I know what it’s like,” mayor John Whitmire said.

Houston will swelter through a heat index of 105 degrees Tuesday and Wednesday, creating dangerous conditions for those without power.

Whitmire said Texas energy company, CenterPoint Energy, brought in additional personnel and is “fully aware” of how much of an essential service getting the power back on is.

Other essential services, like wastewater and hospital systems, are also being monitored, Whitmire said.

At least three people died Monday as Beryl moved through the city of Houston, Texas, Mayor John Whitmire said.

One person died due to a tree falling and another person died in a fire by storm-related lightning, Whitmire said.

The Houston Police Department also lost a civilian employee who was trying to commute to work when his car became submerged in flood conditions, the mayor said.

A tornado “seriously damaged or destroyed” between 30 to 40 homes after touching down in Jasper, a Texas city approximately 70 miles north of Beaumont, according to Jasper County Judge Mark Allen. 

The tornado hit an apartment complex and nursing home facility alongside homes in the western side of the city, as well as other buildings across Jasper County. It touched down around 12 p.m. ET. 

There were two minor injuries reported and no fatalities, according to Allen. 

Tropical Storm Beryl brought high winds and rain to Jasper as well, causing “massive power outages” with several thousands of customers continuing to be without power in the city, said Allen. 

“Multiple searches underway in the Shady Acres and Rosewood Subdivisions on the west side of Jasper. Extensive wind/tornado damage. Multiple houses with trees on them,” said a post from the Beech Grove Volunteer Fire Department’s Facebook page.

The city is working to set up a shelter at the local church for those displaced by the storm. 

Houston, Texas, residents should stay on alert even after the worst of Beryl passed through the city, the mayor said on Monday afternoon.

He said the city was pounded with high winds and saw 10 to 15 inches of rain in some places. He said traffic lights are out and some freeways are also closed.

Tropical Storm Beryl is gradually losing its strength, but it continues to unload gusty winds and flooding rainfall over eastern Texas.

“Do not become complacent, that’s my message this afternoon,” Whitmire said.

At least two people have died when trees fell on homes in the Houston area — a 53-year-old man and a 74-year-old woman, according to local authorities. 

A new tornado watch has been issued for much of southern and central Arkansas, including Little Rock, until midnight CT, according to the National Hurricane Center. 

The tornado threat for Arkansas will increase this evening as Tropical Storm Beryl continues to move northward. The outer bands of tropical systems often produce brief tornadoes.  

Beryl has already produced numerous tornadoes across eastern Texas and western Louisiana this afternoon and the threat continues in these states this evening. The Texas towns of Jasper and Timpson have both been hit by tornadoes today.

Texas energy company, CenterPoint Energy, said that after completing a damage assessment, it will start providing “estimates for substantial restoration of the system” after millions of customers were left without power following Hurricane Beryl.

The company said Beryl’s path shifted and had more impact on its infrastructure than expected.  

The company said it is mobilizing “thousands” of frontline resources to begin the restoration process. CenterPoint also acknowledged the ongoing heat forecast for the region and the importance of restoring power.  

“We understand how difficult it is to be without power for any amount of time, especially in the heat. We are laser focused on the important and time-sensitive work that lies ahead,” said Lynnae Wilson, CenterPoint’s senior vice president of electric business.

The sustained winds associated with Tropical Storm Beryl continue to decrease and are now 45 mph, according to the 5 p.m. EST update from the National Hurricane Center.

Despite the decreasing winds, Beryl continues to produce flooding and the threat of tornadoes, especially on the eastern side of the storm near the Texas-Louisiana border.

Beryl’s center is now about 110 miles north of Houston or 80 miles south-southeast of Tyler, Texas.

The storm will move across the Lower Mississippi Valley and into the Ohio Valley over the next 48 hours, potentially bringing 3 to 5 inches of rainfall. This rainfall is expected to cause urban and flash flooding.

Hurricane Beryl left more than 2.2 million CenterPoint Energy customers without power on Monday, the company told CNN. However, it is unable to provide a timetable for when customers would be back online.

When CNN asked CenterPoint Energy how long it would take to restore power for the millions of customers who are predominantly in the Houston metro area, the company did not provide any dates or times for when electricity would return to the bulk of its customers.

A tornado caused severe damage to public buildings in the east Texas town of Timpson, according to local authorities. 

Timpson is located around 30 miles northeast of the city of Nacodogches and around 70 miles southwest of Shreveport, Louisiana. 

The tornado passed through middle of the town, severely damaging Timpson’s City Hall and local stores, said Shelby County Sheriff’s Department Precinct 5 Constable, Josh Tipton. Several trees and power lines are down and blocking city streets. 

Local authorities were able to safely remove one person who was trapped by debris. 

Two dangerous tornadoes are tearing through areas near the Texas-Louisiana border this afternoon, according to the National Weather Service in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Each tornado shown below has been tagged with a particularly dangerous situation warning:

Beryl is producing at least three simultaneous tornadoes near the Texas-Louisiana border, one of which is “a confirmed large and extremely dangerous tornado,” the National Weather Service in Shreveport, Louisiana, warned. 

The tornado, located 7 miles northwest of Converse, Louisiana, prompted a particularly dangerous situation warning from the NWS.

Additional tornadoes are possible throughout the afternoon as Beryl tracks northward through eastern Texas.

Tropical Storm Beryl is now has sustained winds of 60 mph – down slightly from 65 mph earlier this afternoon – but continues to unload gusty winds and flooding rainfall over eastern Texas.

Beryl’s center is located 55 miles north of Houston and is moving north-northeast at 14 mph. The storm will gradually pick up more speed as it takes a turn to the northeast later today.

Tropical storm-force winds extend 115 miles from Beryl’s center. Huntsville, Texas, recently reported a wind gust of 56 mph and Beaumont, Texas, gusted to 54 mph.

Heat and humidity will soar to dangerous levels Tuesday for those still without power in the wake of Hurricane Beryl. More than 2.7 million homes and businesses are without power in Texas as of early Monday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.us.

Most of these outages are in the greater Houston area, but power is out for many along the coast north of Corpus Christi to the Texas-Louisiana border and inland through a large portion of East Texas.

High temperatures will reach the low 90s Tuesday and Wednesday for much of this region, but high humidity levels will drive the heat index – how heat feels to the body – into the 100s.

Houston will swelter through a heat index of 105 degrees Tuesday and Wednesday. Unfortunately, the heat is here to stay with little relief on the horizon. The heat index will push into triple digits each day through at least Sunday.

This prolonged heat will be especially dangerous for anyone without reliable access to cooling, due to power outages or other factors like the often deadly improper use of generators in homes. Heat is the deadliest weather threat in the US, killing more than twice as many people each year on average than hurricanes and tornadoes combined.

Hurricane Beryl has unleashed winds topping 90 mph across parts of Texas. In Surfside Beach, Texas, they ripped roofs off buildings and caused serious structural damage. Here are some photos that show what it looks like on the ground in the aftermath of the storm.

Storm damage is seen in Surfside Beach on Monday.

Residents assess a fallen tree in their neighborhood after Hurricane Beryl swept through the area on July 8 in Houston, Texas.

Vehicles sit in floodwater on Monday in Houston.

Andrew Parada, an employee at Residence Inn, mops up the floor as water keeps leaking in during Hurricane Beryl on Monday.

Power lines downed by the effects of Hurricane Beryl block a highway near Palacios, Texas, Monday.

See more photos here.

A vehicle is left abandoned in floodwater on a highway after Hurricane Beryl swept through the area on Monday in Houston.

Houston is in “rescue mode,” according to the city’s mayor, after Beryl brought powerful winds, rain and flooding to the area.

Houston Mayor John Whitmire called the situation “an emergency” at a news briefing Monday and asked for everyone to shelter in place. He said there have been hurricane-force wind gusts, streets closed, traffic lights out, fires and more than 10 inches of water across most of the city.

He said officials are monitoring the San Jacinto River for flooding.

CNN affiliate KHOU showed the rescue of a man trapped sitting on top of his truck, surrounded by floodwaters. First responders are seen lowering a rope from a fire truck ladder. Other online video shows cars and trucks stranded on a freeway in southwest Houston due to flooding.

At least two people have died when trees fell on homes in the Houston area — a 53-year-old man and a 74-year-old woman, according to local authorities. 

“The life safety posture is what we’re focusing on right now. And we’re going to continue this until the storm passes. And then we’re going to move into the recovery and consequence management,” Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña said.

Beryl is tracking to the north-northeast through eastern Texas and its worst impacts are shifting out of hard-hit Houston. Damaging winds and heavy rainfall are now spreading across more of eastern Texas and into southwestern Louisiana.

Rainfall rates are surpassing an inch per hour in the Beaumont, Texas, area as one of Beryl’s heavy rainbands moves through the area. More of the same is possible near the Texas-Louisiana border in the coming hours as Beryl makes a slow turn to the northeast. 

A level 3 of 4 risk of flooding rainfall is in place through tonight for much of eastern Texas, parts of far western Louisiana and southwestern Arkansas, according to the Weather Prediction Center. 

The center of Beryl will track just north of Shreveport, Louisiana, overnight and end up in southern Arkansas by early Tuesday morning. Beryl will lose strength overnight and will likely be a tropical depression by Tuesday morning. 

Beryl’s forecast status change is unlikely to change much of its overall impact over the next few days. Heavy rain and gusty winds are possible along its path through much of this week.

A level 2 of 4 risk of flooding rainfall will stretch from northern Arkansas through much of Illinois and into western Indiana Tuesday. This includes Little Rock, Arkansas, St. Louis, Missouri, and Champaign, Illinois. 

By Wednesday, a level 2 of 4 risk of flooding rainfall will encapsulate much of the lower Great Lakes and interior Northeast, including Detroit, Cleveland and Buffalo, New York.

Beryl made landfall in Texas early Monday as a strengthening Category 1 hurricane. The storm has killed at least two people in the state, according to officials.

Nine others were killed when the storm tracked through the Caribbean and Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula last week.

Since making landfall in Texas, Beryl has lost strength and is now classified as a tropical storm. Still, officials warn about the torrential rain and dangerous flash flooding that will continue as it pushes deeper into Texas.

Here’s what to know:

Torrential rainfall from Beryl is producing incredibly dangerous flooding in Texas, especially in and around the greater Houston area, where at least two dozen locations were reporting flooding.

Widespread rainfall amounts of 4 to 8 inches have fallen there since Sunday night, with much of the rain falling since daybreak.

Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport on the north side of the city has picked up more than 4.5 inches of rain since midnight, according to National Weather Service data. The airport’s reporting station typically only picks up 3.77 inches of rain the entire month of July, meaning more than a month’s worth of rain fell in under 12 hours.

Houston’s Hobby International Airport, on the city’s south side, recored nearly 3.4 inches since midnight and typically records about 4.60 inches of rain in July. Other weather reporting stations just to the airport’s north and south have picked up between 4 and 5 inches of rain in the same timeframe.

A widespread 5 to 8 inches of rain have fallen since midnight in the Sugar Land area. The Friendswood area has also recorded between 6 and 8 inches of rainfall.

Rain is slowly pushing away from the Houston metro, but flooding will linger with waterways still swollen.

A second fatality has been attributed to now Tropical Storm Beryl according to Houston area law enforcement.

Police responded to the home of a 74-year-old woman, after a report of a tree fell through the roof of the home, the constable in Harris County’s Precinct 4 said in a Facebook post.

Another fatality had previously been attributed to the storm in a separate incident where a tree fell on a home, also in Harris County.

The Gulf of Mexico is surging onshore in Texas, driven by Beryl’s sprawling, mighty winds.

In Sargent, near where Beryl made landfall on the middle Texas coast, water surrounded some homes and surged around vehicles. Street signs dotting the water’s surface were the only indicator a road lay beneath.

Power poles leaned in response to the might of the water and hurricane-force wind gusts, which whipped waves up into white caps. Winds have gusted over 90 mph in Texas. Those same winds ripped shingles off homes in Sargent and blew out windows.

Watch the video below from Mike’s Weather Page to see more:

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00:40 - Source: cnn

Video credit: Mike’s Weather Page

More than 3.5 million people in Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas are now under a tornado watch until 10 p.m. CDT as Beryl slams the Gulf Coast. 

Beryl’s northward movement is favorable for “supercells capable of (producing) tornadoes through this afternoon and early evening,” according to the Storm Prediction Center. 

Tornadoes can spin to life well away from Beryl’s center in any of its rainbands today. Several tornado warnings were in effect earlier this morning northeast of the Houston area. 

A gauge near the Port of Houston is reporting water levels over 9.5 feet above normal this morning as Beryl produces dangerous storm surge and flooding rainfall.

The gauge rose to 10.29 feet above its typical water level just after 9 a.m. local time, marking its second-highest level on record, according to NOAA. Records for the station date back to 1998. The water level is extremely high because Beryl’s strong winds are pushing water ashore and preventing flash flooding happening on land from draining away.

The only time the gauge measured higher was on August 29, 2017, when Hurricane Harvey deluged the area. Water levels reached 10.47 feet.

Water levels in the area rose 2 feet in the past two hours and could continue to climb due to a combination of storm surge, rain and high tide this afternoon.

CNN Meteorologist Sara Tonks contributed to this report.

Beryl has lost a bit of strength as it pushes deeper into Texas this morning. It’s now a tropical storm with winds of 70 mph, down from 75 mph just an hour ago.

Tropical storm-force winds extend 115 miles from Beryl’s center, which is located 20 miles west-northwest of Houston. The storm is tracking north-northeast at 13 mph.

Beryl will gradually lose strength as it tracks inland but is likely to retain its tropical storm status through part of Monday night. Torrential rainfall and dangerous flash flooding will continue to accompany Beryl’s damaging winds Monday.

More than two million customers are without power across Texas as Hurricane Beryl makes its way toward Houston, according to the poweroutages.us website.

Services have stopped in Houston, with public transport suspended until further notice and many hospitals canceling elective surgeries.

Beryl is sweeping inland across the state, bringing storm surges and wind speeds of more than 74 mph.

Houston area utility provider CenterPoint Energy reports that more than 1.5 million of those customers are in the Houston area. 

CNN’s Chris Boyette contributed reporting to this post.

A Houston area man is dead after a tree fell on his home in Harris County as Hurricane Beryl brings rain and hurricane-force winds to the area, according to Sheriff Ed Gonzalez. 

According to Gonzalez, the 53-year-old man was sitting in the house with family, “riding out the storm” when an oak tree fell on the roof causing the structure to collapse. 

The man’s wife and children were not harmed, the sheriff said.

CNN has reached out to Gonzalez’s office for additional information.

CNN’s Jeremy Grisham and Eric Zerkel contributed to this report.

A person in Bay City, Texas, walks down a hotel hallway after power was lost on Monday morning.

More than 1.5 million customers in Texas are without power currently as Hurricane Beryl made landfall in the state, according to PowerOutage.us.

According to the site, as of Monday morning, 1,537,649 Texans are currently without power — that’s more power outages than the city of Houston lost during the devastating derecho back in May.

Hurricane-strength wind gusts (greater than 74 mph) are battering coastal Texas. With the strongest gusts in Freeport at 94 mph.

A reporting station near the Houston metro at an elevation of 226 feet recorded a gust of 81 mph this morning. This gust is not indicative of what’s happening at ground level, but the National Weather Service urged anyone in high-rise buildings to “not go out on balconies and stay away from windows.”

Debris and flood waters from Hurricane Beryl cover the main roadway in Surfside Beach, Texas, on Monday.

Beryl is still a Category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 75 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center’s latest update. The center of the hurricane is located about 30 miles southwest of Houston and is moving to the north at 12 mph.

Strong winds have picked up in Houston as the hurricane’s eyewall, where the storm’s strongest winds are located, pushes into the metro.

An American flag waves in the wind in Surfside Beach, Texas, on Monday morning.

Hurricane-strength wind gusts (greater than 74 mph) are battering coastal Texas this morning. Here are the strongest wind gusts from Beryl in Texas so far:

A reporting station near the Houston metro at an elevation of 226 feet recorded a gust of 81 mph this morning. This gust is not indicative of what’s happening at ground level, but the National Weather Service urged anyone in high-rise buildings to “not go out on balconies and stay away from windows.”

CNN’s Peyton Galyean contributed to this report.

Nearly 80% of flights at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport and 60% of flights at William P. Hobby Airport in Houston have been canceled, according to flight-tracking site Flightaware.

Eighty-four percent of flights at Corpus Christi International Airport are also canceled, according to flight-tracking data.

More on cancellations: Even flights in Dallas, well away from the storm, are impacted: 26 flights have been canceled at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and 12 flights have been canceled at Dallas Love Field, according to Flightaware. 

Beryl’s powerful winds continue to produce dangerous storm surge. About 5.5 feet of surge is impacting areas on the northern end of Galveston Bay — near Morgans Point — with around 4 feet of surge elsewhere. Storm surge recently reached 4.5 feet in the western portion of the Bay, near Eagle Point.

Water levels have climbed by as much as a foot in just 60 to 90 minutes and may rise further through high tide, which is expected to occur by 9:00 a.m. local time for the Galveston Pier.

CenterPoint Energy reports over one million customers in the Houston area alone ​are affected by power outages as Hurricane Beryl heads toward the city.

​At least 1,132,691 customers are affected, according to the utility company.

Hurricane Beryl floods Surfside Beach, TX on 07/08/2024

Hurricane Beryl’s powerful winds are pushing the Gulf of Mexico onshore in Texas. Feet of storm surge has already been reported on the coast and water levels are rising as high tide arrives.

Surfside Beach, Texas, is experiencing some of the worst of it right now. The island is closed to all traffic, police said, and it’s easy to see why.

The police department posted this photo showing the surge climbing up to this truck’s door.

The National Hurricane Center warned this area could receive between 4 and 7 feet of storm surge.

The center of Hurricane Beryl is located about 40 miles southwest of Houston but the potent cyclone is slowly pushing north this morning. Beryl’s strongest winds are located in the eyewall, an area of powerful winds that surround its center. 

Houston’s weather radar shows these strong winds are currently impacting southern and southwestern portions of the metro. More of the area will experience these winds in the next hour or two as Beryl pushes north.

Torrential rainfall and flash flooding is already ongoing over much of Houston. Widespread rainfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches have fallen in the last three-to-four hours with plenty more on the way. Rainfall rates are currently close to 1 inch per hour in some of the metro and will likely worsen ongoing flash flooding.

Radar imagery shows Beryl impacting coastal Texas Monday morning. Reflectivity is on the left and shows where the heaviest rain from Beryl is likely falling. Oranges indicate heavier rainfall. Velocity is on the right and shows where Beryl's strongest winds are blowing. Pinks and light oranges indicate strong winds from the east and light and dark blues indicate strong winds from the south.

Hurricane Beryl’s sustained winds weakened slightly from 80 mph to 75 mph, but the designation means little for what Texas is experiencing now.

Hurricane-force winds extend 45 miles from the storm’s center, which is now 40 miles southwest of Houston. That means the strongest winds are now starting to move into the Houston metro.

Police in Rosenberg, Texas, are conducting water rescues as heavy rainfall from Hurricane Beryl continues to deluge the area.

The outer bands of Beryl started dumping rain on the area well before the storm made landfall early Monday morning, but rainfall rates have only started to intensify as the storm moves toward the town, which is a little more than 25 miles southwest of downtown Houston.

A widespread 3 to 5 inches of rain have fallen in the Rosenberg area over the last 12 hours. Heavy rain will continue for the next several hours.

Beryl remains a Category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 80 mph two hours after it made landfall at the same strength. The hurricane is unloading damaging winds, torrential rainfall and life-threatening storm surge in Texas.

The hurricane’s center is about 55 miles south-southwest of Houston and is tracking north at 12 mph.

Hurricane-strength wind gusts have been recently reported in multiple locations, including:

Hurricane Beryl has impacted services throughout Texas, as the storm impacts the state. 

In a statement, Houston Metro said local bus, METRORapid, METRORail, and METROLift services will be suspended until 8 a.m. local time on Monday. In addition, all Park & Ride services will be suspended, METRO HOV/HOT lanes will be closed and RideStores will be closed.

Hospital services in the Houston area are also impacted by the storm. 

Major ports in Texas ceased operations Sunday as the United States Coast Guard announced that Port Condition Zulu was to be implemented ahead of Hurricane Beryl making landfall. 

Ports of Houston, Galveston, Freeport, and Texas City were impacted and required to take actions such as ceasing all cargo and bunkering operations, according to a statement. Texas ports are a key hub for crude oil shipments in the US.

Beryl roared ashore near Matagorda, Texas, as a Category 1 hurricane around 4:00 a.m. CDT Monday. It’s the first tropical cyclone to make landfall in the US this season.

This morning’s landfall was Beryl’s third. Beryl made its first landfall last Monday in the Grenadines as a Category 4 hurricane and its second landfall came Friday over Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula as a Category 2 hurricane.

Hurricane Beryl makes landfall Monday morning.

Hurricane Beryl is advancing inland on Monday morning in Southeast Texas and is bringing “extreme rainfall rates and flash flooding” to populated areas such as the Houston and Galveston metro areas.

“Extremely heavy rainfall will move northward this morning with areas of flash flooding likely,” according to the Weather Prediction Center.

“This will include areas of considerable to severe urban flash flooding with locally life-threatening impacts expected.”

Extreme rainfall rates of two to four inches per hour are possible, especially where the inner eyewall or other organized bands east of the storm’s center pass through. Rainfall totals of four to eight inches are expected through midday.

At least 487,000 customers are without power in Texas according to the latest update at 07:05 a.m. ET from poweroutages.us.

Hurricane Beryl made landfall in the state this morning, bringing winds of up to 80 mph.

It is the earliest-in-the season hurricane landfall in Texas in nearly 40 years.

This post has been updated with the latest numbers at 07:05 a.m. ET.

As Hurricane Beryl makes landfall in Texas, here are some things to know about it:

Power outages are rapidly climbing in Texas this morning as Hurricane Beryl impacts the state.

There were 132,200 customers without power as of 5:26 a.m. ET, according to poweroutage.us.

Beryl has made landfall near Matagorda Beach, Texas with winds of 80 mph. More than 84,000 people were without power in the state at 4:36 a.m.

After causing chaos in the Caribbean and Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula last week, and killing at least nine people, Beryl weakened to a Tropical Storm, but strengthened to become a hurricane overnight before making landfall.

If you’re just joining us, here’s what to know:

These are the cities that will be impacted by Beryl:

Hurricane Beryl begins to slam Sargent Beach in Matagorda County, Texas, on July 8.

Hurricane Beryl has made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane near Matagorda Beach, according to the 5 a.m. update from the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

Beryl had winds of 80 mph with even higher gusts at the time of landfall.

A National Ocean Service Station near Freeport, Texas, recently reported a wind gust of 87 mph, and a WeatherFlow station at Surfside Beach, Texas, recently reported a gust of 85 mph.

Heavy rainfall, storm surge, tornadoes, and gusty wind will continue across much of eastern Texas as Beryl moves inland. A total of 5-10 inches is expected, with isolated totals potentially reaching 15 inches.

The storm will quickly weaken to a tropical storm before moving inland across eastern Texas. Beryl is forecast to weaken to a tropical depression around the time it moves into Arkansas Tuesday morning.

More than 84,000 Texans were without power at 4:36 a.m. ET, as Hurricane Beryl impacts the state, according to poweroutage.us.

Beryl is nearing the middle Texas coast and is expected to make landfall within the next hour or two, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC)’s 4 a.m. ET update.

The storm is now about 15 miles southeast of Matagorda, moving northwest at 10 mph. 

A station in Matagorda City recently reported a sustained wind of 68 mph, with gusts of 86 mph.

Clyde George, left, and his son Chris George board up their home ahead of the arrival of Tropical Storm Beryl on July 7, in Port O'Connor, Texas.

Beryl is nearing the middle Texas coast and is expected to make landfall within the next few hours, according to a special update from the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

The center of the storm is now about 20 miles southeast of Matagorda, Texas, moving northwest at 10 mph. 

A WeatherFlow station located at Matagorda Bay recently reported sustained winds of 60 mph, with gusts of 75 mph.

Ocean waters around the globe have been excessively warm — often at record levels — for more than a year.

The water along Beryl’s path helped the storm intensify rapidly as it barreled through the Caribbean.

This map shows the storm’s historical progress, current location and projected path, overlaid on sea surface temperature anomalies:

Tropical Storm Beryl approaches the Texas coast in the Gulf of Mexico in a composite satellite image from July 7.

Hurricane Beryl is picking up speed as it approaches the middle Texas coast, according to the 2 a.m. ET update from the National Hurricane Centre.

Winds are now up to 80 mph with stronger gusts. The center of the storm is around 30 miles southeast of Matagorda and is moving northwest at 10 mph.

Beryl is expected to make landfall near Matagorda Beach in the next several hours.

Here are the latest warnings:

Forecasters have predicted that 2024’s Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June through the end of November, will be busier than usual.

In April, the Colorado State University Tropical Meteorology Project predicted an “extremely active” hurricane season, forecasting 23 named storms, including 11 hurricanes, five of them major.

In May, the Climate Prediction Center at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasted an 85% chance for an above-normal season. It predicted a 70% chance of having 17 to 25 named storms, of which eight to 13 could develop into hurricanes, including four to seven major hurricanes.

Here’s what to know about these destructive storms:

What are hurricanes? The National Weather Service defines a hurricane as a “tropical cyclone with maximum sustained winds of 74 mph (64 knots) or higher.”

How are hurricanes rated? Hurricanes are rated according to the intensity of sustained winds on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. The 1-5 scale estimates potential property damage.

A Category 3 or higher is considered a major hurricane.

How are storms named? A developing weather system gets a name when its winds reach 39 mph, making it a tropical storm.

There have already been three named storms — tropical storms Alberto and Chris, each of which hit Mexico in June, and now Hurricane Beryl, the earliest Category 5 Atlantic hurricane on record.

Where are Atlantic hurricanes? These storms affect areas in the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.

People watch large swells created by Hurricane Beryl crash over the Packery Channel Jetty on Sunday evening, July 7, in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Conditions continue to deteriorate across the Texas coast as Hurricane Beryl approaches. Here is an updated forecast for cities in southern and southeastern Texas, as of 1:40 a.m. ET:

Palacios

Alerts: Hurricane warning, storm surge warning, tornado watch and flood watch

Winds: Tropical storm winds of 30-50 mph with gusts of up to 80 mph. Winds could reach between 74 and 110 mph.

Peak winds: Through 9 a.m. ET

Storm surge: 4-7 feet

Rainfall: 6-10+ inches

Peak rainfall: 3 a.m.-7 a.m. ET

Tornado threat: Through 11 a.m. ET

Galveston

Alerts: Hurricane warning, storm surge warning, tornado watch and flood watch

Winds: Tropical storm winds of 30-50 mph with gusts of up to 75 mph

Peak winds: Through 7 p.m. ET

Storm surge: 4-6 feet above normal tide levels

Rainfall: 6-10+ inches

Peak rainfall: 4 a.m.-4 p.m. ET

Tornado threat: Through 11 a.m. ET

Houston

Alerts: Tropical storm warning, flood watch and tornado watch

Winds: Tropical storm force winds of 40-50 mph are possible with gusts of up to 90 mph

Peak winds: 3 a.m.-3 p.m. ET

Rainfall: 4-8+ inches

Peak rainfall: 3 a.m.- 2 p.m. ET

Tornado threat: Through 11 a.m. ET

Victoria

Alerts: Hurricane warning and flood watch

Winds: Winds of 20-30 mph with gusts of up to 50 miles per hour expected with isolated winds of up to 57 miles per hour possible

Peak winds: Through 9 a.m. ET

Rainfall: 1-3+ inches

Corpus Christi

Alerts: Tropical storm warning

Winds: Widespread winds of up to 10-20 mph with gusts to 35 mph expected with isolated winds of up to 57 mph possible

Peak winds: Through 6 a.m. ET

Storm surge: 1-3 feet above normal tide levels

Rainfall: 1-2+ inches

South Padre Island 

Alerts: None

Winds: Gusts could reach 40 mph

Peak winds: Through 7 a.m. ET

Storm surge: Locally hazardous

Rainfall: Over one inch

Hurricane Beryl’s blow to Jamaica was worsened by climate change, analysis from ClimaMeter has found.

Modern storms like Beryl tracking close to Jamaica are capable of unloading 30% more rain and 10% stronger winds compared to similar storms from 1979 to 2001 because of human-caused climate change, the study found.

The storm drenched Kingston, Jamaica’s capital, in more than double the amount of rain it typically receives for the whole month of July in just 24 hours on Wednesday. The city also endured 12 consecutive hours of tropical-storm-force winds.

The storm killed two people in the island nation and at least seven others in the region.

“The increase in precipitation and wind speed of this type of event has been significantly intensified by human-driven climate change,” Tommaso Alberti, a researcher involved in the study said.

Beryl was the earliest Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic on record.

Previous studies show that there will be more of the most intense tropical cyclones as the planet warms from fossil fuel pollution; more storms are also rapidly intensifying as ocean temperatures rise; and rainfall from tropical cyclones is also being supercharged by the warming planet.

CNN’s Brandon Miller, Mary Gilbert, Michael Rios and Jennifer Deaton contributed to this report

The Storm Prediction Center has issued a tornado watch for an area covering the city of Houston as Beryl, now a Category 1 hurricane, approaches the Texas coast.

The tornado watch is in effect for more than 7 million people until 11 a.m. ET.

Beryl’s maximum sustained winds have increased to near 75 miles per hour, upgrading it from a tropical storm to a Category 1 hurricane as it approaches Texas, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Tropical Storm Beryl is picking up strength as it heads toward Texas, with maximum sustained winds of 70 miles per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Beryl, which razed parts of Grenada last week before tearing through Jamaica, the Cayman Islands and Mexico, is expected to make landfall in the US as a Category 1 hurricane Monday morning.

“Significant weakening is expected after landfall,” according to the NHC’s 11:00 p.m. ET update.

Here’s the latest forecast:

Here’s how authorities are preparing:

Luan Nguyen boards up windows as he helps prepare for Beryl's arrival, on July 7, in Palaciios, Texas.

While Beryl is still a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 70 miles per hour, the hurricane watch across the Texas coast north of San Luis Pass to Port Bolivar has been upgraded to a warning, according to the National Hurricane Center. 

Some models warn of potentially significant strengthening before landfall. 

The center of Tropical Storm Beryl is about 75 miles south-southeast of Matagorda, Texas, moving north-northwest at 10 miles per hour. Tropical storm-force winds extend about 115 miles from the center of Beryl.

Here are the current warnings from the NHC: 

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo speaks at a news conference on July 7.

Residents in Harris County, Texas — which includes Houston — should take shelter from midnight until noon on Monday as Beryl moves through the region, county judge Lina Hidalgo said.

“We need you to prepare and be ready for the next 24 hours,” Hidalgo said in a Sunday evening news conference.

The most severe winds, rain and storm surge are expected between midnight and noon Monday, she said.

“The next 24 hours are going to be rough for Harris County. What we don’t know is exactly where and exactly how rough.”

All county buildings will be closed on Monday, Hidalgo said.

More than 120 lineworkers and support staff have traveled from Ohio to Texas in to assist in case Beryl leaves widespread power outages in its wake, the utility company AEP Ohio announced.

The workers began their journey on Saturday to assist the AEP Texas branch.

The utility delivers electricity to more than 1 million homes and businesses in south and west Texas. South Texas is expected to be heavily affected by Beryl.

Fort Bend County will close all county offices Monday in preparation for Tropical Storm Beryl’s effects in the greater Houston metro area, County Judge KP George said.

Offices will open for “normal business” on Tuesday, said George.

The county is preparing for tropical storm force winds, flash flooding, power outages, possible tornadoes and road closures as Tropical Storm Beryl is expected to intensify to a Category 1 hurricane.

“We expect to have a Category 1 hurricane, but we are preparing for a Category 2,” said George.

The county is expected to receive between 8-10 inches of rain beginning late Sunday and into early Monday, said Fort Bend Emergency Management Director Greg Babst. Isolated areas of the county may receive up to 15 inches of rain.

The Brazos River, San Bernardo River and Parker Reservoir will be used to drain rainfall from Beryl, according to the Fort Bend Drainage District first assistant engineer Jeff Janecek.

High water vehicles and rescue boats have also been mobilized, according to Fort Bend County Sheriff Eric Fagan. 

Storm shelters will also be opened as needed after Beryl passes through the area, said Babst. The shelters will include cooling centers as high temperatures are expected in the Fort Bend area.

Galveston Mayor Craig Brown speaks at a press conference on July 7.

Galveston Mayor Craig Brown says the city is prepared for Tropical Storm Beryl as it makes its way to the Texas coastline.

He said the storm would likely reach them by 1 a.m., and the city would probably see a storm surge reaching up to five feet. They could see six to seven feet of storm surge if the storm moves a little more north. 

“That would cause a lot of flooding on the west end and in downtown Galveston,” Brown said. 

Businesses use sand bags to protect windows and entrances from Beryl in Galveston, Texas, on July 7. 

Brown told reporters Sunday voluntary evacuations in the west end of Galveston Island went into effect at 10 a.m.

Brown said that with the storm surge, the massive amounts of rainfall projected, and the strong winds, “all of those things coming together could have quite an effect on our community here in Galveston.”

The Coast Guard shut down the Port of Galveston to traffic at 4 p.m., which Brown said would impact not only cargo but also cruise lines. 

Houston authorities also said they are preparing for the storm, pre-staging in areas that typically flood and asking residents to stay off the roads after 10 p.m. High amounts of rain could cause flooded roadways.

Some residents may experience power outages when Beryl makes landfall early Monday, said Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief W. Nim Kidd.

He advised Texans to charge all their devices and have fuel in their vehicles as they make their final preparations.

Any family member who may be medically dependent on electricity at home should be moved to a safe place, he noted.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick advised people in Texas to take the incoming storm seriously.

Patrick said at a news briefing Sunday that some people on vacation in coastal areas were “not watching the storm” or downplaying its strength. Beryl, now a tropical storm, is expected to strengthen to a Category 1 hurricane before it makes landfall.

He also warned of the dangers of potentially deadly rip currents, which will intensify with the storm, saying there are still a lot of people on the water.

Texans should also avoid driving in any streets so flooded that they can’t see the bottom: “In just a few feet of water, you’ll be drifting down the river,” he warned.

Patrick is acting governor while Gov. Greg Abbott is out of the country.

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick advised evacuating residents to get out now and avoid traveling Monday, noting that coastal areas would likely see “serious flooding” and other effects.

Patrick, who is acting governor while Gov. Greg Abbott is out of the country, noted that thousands of people are currently visiting the Texas coast for Fourth of July vacation, but not many of them seem to be leaving ahead of the storm’s arrival.

“We have thousands upon thousands upon thousands of people who are spending their summer vacation there — holiday weekend on top of that,” he said.

“There is a concern that because they’re not in their daily routine of watching the news, or checking their internet, or checking their emails, that they may not be aware of this storm.”