Beryl regains hurricane strength as it nears South Texas

MATAGORDA, Texas (AP) — Beryl strengthened into a hurricane again late Sunday as it headed toward South Texas, where its outer bands pounded the coast with heavy rain and winds as residents braced for the storm strong that has already cut a deadly path. parts of Mexico and the Caribbean.

People on the Texas coast closed their windows and left beach towns under evacuation orders. The hurricane’s peak sustained winds of 75 mph (120 km/h), according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. It was moving northwest at 10 mph (16 km/h).

The storm was projected to make landfall early Monday on the mid-Texas coast around Matagorda Bay, an area about 100 miles (161 kilometers) south of Houston, but officials warned that the path could still change.

As the storm neared the coast, Texas officials warned Sunday that it could cause power outages and flooding, but also expressed concern that not enough residents and beachgoers in Beryl’s path heeded the warnings of To leave.

“One of the things that has us a little concerned, we looked at all the roads that leave the coast and the maps are still green,” said Lt. Gov. Texas Dan Patrick, who serves as the state’s state. acting governor while Governor Greg Abbott travels overseas. “So we don’t see a lot of people leaving.”

The tropical storm’s winds extended 115 miles (185 kilometers) from the center, and the hurricane center warned residents to be prepared for possible flash flooding in parts of central, upper and eastern Texas, as well as Arkansas, as that storm gradually turns north and then northeast later Monday.

Along the Texas coast, many residents and business owners took typical storm precautions but also expressed uncertainty about the storm’s intensity.

In Port Lavaca, Jimmy May fixed plywood over the windows of his electricity company and said he was not worried about possible storm surge. He recalled that his business escaped flooding in a previous hurricane that caused a 20-foot (6-meter) storm surge.

“In the city, you know, if you’re in low-lying areas, obviously you have to get out of there,” he said.

At the nearby marina, Percy Roberts showed his neighbor Ken Waller how to secure his boat as strong winds came in from the bay on Sunday evening.

“This will actually be the first hurricane I’ll experience,” Waller said, noting he’s a little nervous but feels safe following Roberts’ lead. “Pray for the best, but expect the worst, I guess.”

The first storm to become a Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic, Beryl caused at least 11 deaths as it passed through the Caribbean en route to Texas. The storm tore off doors, windows and roofs with devastating winds and storm surges fueled by record Atlantic heat.

Three times in a week of its life, Beryl has gained 35 mph (56 km/h) in wind speed in 24 hours or less, the weather service’s official definition of rapid intensification.

Beryl’s explosive growth into an unprecedented early storm shows the literal hot water of the Atlantic and Caribbean and what the Atlantic hurricane belt can expect for the rest of the storm season, experts said.

Texas officials warned people along the entire coast to prepare for possible flooding, heavy rain and wind. The hurricane warning extended from Baffin Bay, south of Corpus Christi, to Sargent, south of Houston.

Beryl loomed as another potential heavy rain event for Houston, where storms in recent months knocked out power in the nation’s fourth-largest city and flooded neighborhoods. A flood watch was in effect for a wide swath of coastal Texas, where forecasters expected Beryl to dump up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain in some areas.

Potential storm surges between 4 and 7 feet (1.22 and 2.13 meters) above ground level were forecast around Matagorda. The warnings extended to the same coastal areas where Hurricane Harvey made landfall in 2017 as a Category 4 hurricane, much stronger than Beryl’s expected intensity by the time the storm makes landfall.

Those looking to catch a flight out of the area may find that option nearly impossible as Beryl approaches. Hundreds of flights from Houston’s two major commercial airports had been delayed by mid-afternoon Sunday and dozens more were canceled, according to FlightAware data.

In Corpus Christi, officials asked visitors to cut their trips short and return home early if possible. Residents were advised to secure homes by dropping windows if necessary and using sandbags to protect against possible flooding.

The White House announced Sunday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency had sent emergency personnel, search and rescue teams, bottled water and other resources along the coast.

Several coastal counties have called for voluntary evacuations in low-lying areas that are prone to flooding. Local officials also banned camping on the beach and urged tourists traveling over the July 4 holiday weekend to move recreational vehicles out of coastal parks.

Beryl earlier this week hit Mexico as a Category 2 hurricane, uprooting trees but causing no injuries or deaths before weakening to a tropical storm as it moved across the Yucatan Peninsula.

Before hitting Mexico, Beryl wreaked havoc in Jamaica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Barbados. Three people were reported dead in Grenada, three in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, three in Venezuela and two in Jamaica.

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Gonzalez reported from McAllen, Texas. Associated Press reporters Margery A. Beck in Omaha, Nebraska, Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City and Julie Walker in New York contributed.

Mark Vancleave and Valerie Gonzalez, Associated Press