Hurricane “Beryl” reached US coast

Meteorologists warned of life-threatening flooding caused by storm surges along the coast. Matagorda is located about 130 kilometers southwest of the city of Houston.

In the affected region, around 270,000 households were temporarily without power, reported the website “Poweroutage.us”. “Beryl” had initially weakened to a tropical storm over the sea, but was then upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane shortly before it reached Texas – with wind speeds of around 120 kilometers per hour.

According to media reports, some residents and business people in the threatened areas on the Texas coast have boarded up their windows. However, many people also did not heed the authorities’ call to get to safety. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick declared a state of emergency in 121 counties. An evacuation was ordered in Refugio County, where around 7,000 people live.

“We have to take ‘Beryl’ very, very seriously. Our worst enemy is complacency,” said Houston Mayor John Whitmire. Residents must be aware “that the conditions in which you go to sleep today will not be the same tomorrow,” he warned on Sunday evening.

Storm center expected to hit land overnight

According to forecasts, “Beryl” will weaken again over land and move inland in a northeasterly direction. Late Monday and Tuesday it will move over East Texas and Arkansas. The storm center should make landfall overnight (local time) between the cities of Corpus Christi and Galveston.

The offshoots had already made themselves felt with heavy rain, strong winds and stormy seas, as local media reported. According to the NHC, flash floods and flooding are expected in parts of the state. Authorities warned of possible tornadoes in the upper part of the Texas coast and the area around the metropolis of Houston.

“Beryl” has been keeping people on tenterhooks for more than a week since it formed in the Atlantic at the end of June. In the southeast of the Caribbean, it temporarily reached the highest hurricane strength, Category 5, meaning sustained winds of more than 252 kilometers per hour. It swept over several islands in the Lesser Antilles, made landfall on the east coast of the Mexican Yucatán Peninsula, and then moved on through the Gulf of Mexico.

Trees uprooted and street signs knocked down

In Mexico, “Beryl” uprooted trees and knocked down street signs. Power went out in large parts of the popular holiday region between Tulum and Cancún. At least eleven people died in the Caribbean region, including three in Venezuela. According to the governments, more than 90 percent of the houses on some islands in the island states of Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines were damaged or destroyed. Jamaica also experienced major damage and widespread power outages in some places.

Formation of hurricanes

Never before has such a strong storm been recorded so early in the Atlantic hurricane season, which begins in June and lasts for six months. Warmer ocean water as a result of climate change makes strong hurricanes more likely.

The sea surface temperature is crucial for the formation of hurricanes. According to the US National Institute of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (NOAA), the water in the North Atlantic is currently between one and three degrees Celsius warmer than normal. The NOAA is expecting an “extraordinary” hurricane season this year with up to seven storms of category 3 or higher.

The strength of hurricanes is measured according to a scale developed by meteorologists Herbert Saffir and Robert Simpson: A Category 1 hurricane reaches speeds of up to 153 kilometers per hour. Category 2 reaches speeds of up to 177 kilometers per hour, Category 3 reaches speeds of up to 208 kilometers per hour, and Category 4 reaches speeds of up to 251 kilometers per hour.

A Category 5 hurricane, which rotates with wind speeds of more than 251 kilometers per hour, can cause devastating damage. Hurricanes often gain strength as they move over the sea. They quickly lose their strength over land because the supply of warm, moist air masses is lacking.