Life-threatening storm surge and damaging winds hit southeastern Texas as Hurricane “Beryl” makes landfall near Matagorda

Hurricane “Beryl” made landfall near Matagorda, Texas at around 09:00 UTC on Monday, July 8, 2024, with maximum sustained winds of 130 km/h (80 mph), making it a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir Simpson scale.

• Beryl brought life-threatening storm surge, strong winds and heavy rains to SE Texas.
• More than 960 000 people lost power.
• A few tornadoes may occur tonight along the upper Texas Coast, and several tornadoes are possible today across parts of east Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas.
• Swells generated by Beryl are expected to affect eastern Mexico and much of the Gulf Coast of the U.S. during the next day or two.

Beryl had a minimum central pressure of 979 hPa at the time of landfall and was moving N at 19 km/h (12 mph).

As of 09:00 UTC on July 8, a Storm Surge Warning is in effect for Mesquite Bay to Sabine Pass, including Matagorda Bay and Galveston Bay. A Hurricane Warning is in effect for the Texas coast from Mesquite Bay northward to Port Bolivar, and a Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the Texas coast north of Port Bolivar to Sabine Pass.

“Life-threatening storm surge, damaging winds and flooding rainfall overspreading southeastern Texas,” the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said at 12:00 UTC.

A turn toward the northeast with an increase in forward speed is expected tonight and Tuesday, July 9.

On the forecast track, the center of Beryl will move over eastern Texas today, then move through the Lower Mississippi Valley into the Ohio Valley on Tuesday and Wednesday.

This is the first July hurricane landfall in Texas since Hanna in 2020 and the 10^th July Texas hurricane landfall since records began in 1851, according to Dr. Philip Klotzbach, a meteorologist at CSU specializing in Atlantic basin seasonal hurricane forecasts.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said it expects steady to rapid weakening as the center moves inland, with Beryl weakening to a tropical storm later today and a tropical depression on Tuesday.

Hurricane conditions are spreading across portions of the warning area at this time and will continue for the next several hours. Tropical storm conditions are occurring elsewhere in the warning area.

Tropical storm conditions are spreading across the tropical storm warning area along the upper Texas coast and will continue during the next several hours.

The combination of storm surge and tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline, NHC said.

The water could reach the following heights above ground somewhere in the indicated areas if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide:

• Port O’Connor, TX to San Luis Pass, TX: 1.2 – 2.1 m (4 – 7 feet)
• Matagorda Bay: 1.2 – 2.1 m (4 – 7 feet)
• San Luis Pass, TX to High Island, TX: 1.2 – 1.8 m (4 – 6 feet)
• Galveston Bay: 1.2 – 1.8 m (4 – 6 feet)
• Mesquite Bay, TX to Port O’Connor, TX: 0.9 – 1.5 m (3 – 5 feet)
• High Island, TX to Sabine Pass, TX: 0.9 – 1.5 m (3 – 5 feet)

The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to the right of the center, where the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves. Surge-related flooding depends on the relative timing of the surge and the tidal cycle and can vary greatly over short distances.

Heavy rainfall of 130 – 250 mm (5 – 10 inches) with localized amounts of 380 mm (15 inches) is expected across portions of the middle and upper Texas Gulf Coast and eastern Texas today into tonight. Considerable flash and urban flooding as well as minor to isolated major river flooding is expected.

Heavy rainfall of 75 – 130 mm (3 – 5 inches), with locally higher amounts possible, is expected across portions of far southeastern Oklahoma, Arkansas, and southern Missouri tonight into Tuesday.

A few tornadoes may occur tonight along the upper Texas Coast, and several tornadoes are possible today across parts of east Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas.

Swells generated by Beryl are expected to affect eastern Mexico and much of the Gulf Coast of the U.S. during the next day or two. These swells are expected to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions. Please consult products from your local weather office.

References:

¹ Hurricane Beryl Advisory Number 39 – NWS/NHC – 0400 AM CDT Mon Jul 08 2024

Teo Blašković

I'm a dedicated researcher, journalist, and editor at The Watchers. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, I specialize in hard science news, focusing on extreme weather, seismic and volcanic activity, space weather, and astronomy, including near-Earth objects and planetary defense strategies. You can reach me at teo /at/ watchers.news.

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