Beryl Next To Hit Texas, Forecasted To Make Landfall As Hurricane

Weather experts said Beryl is forecasted to strike Texas, with warning of heavy rains and floods hitting the state.

Based on the forecast, Beryl could make landfall along the Texas coast by early next week as a hurricane; however it could turn towards the northward direction along the coast at the last minute.

Landfall Along Texas Coast

Officials advised that storm preparations should be completed by residents living along the southern and central Texas coast by Sunday afternoon. They noted that the weather condition could stall over Texas and this may bring excessive rainfall and major floods in most areas.

At 100 AM CDT (0600 UTC), the National Weather Service said that the center of TS Beryl was spotted near latitude 21.9 North, longitude 90.8 West.

Beryl is seen to be tracking toward the west-northwest near 13 mph (20 km/h) and this motion is expected to continue through the morning.

Maximum sustained winds are near 60 mph (95 km/h) with higher gusts while there is little change in strength, which is expected to be felt through the morning.

The tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 105 miles (165 km) from the center while the minimum central pressure is 1001 mb (29.56 inches) estimated from Air Force Hurricane Hunter observations.

Before hitting Texas, Beryl made landfall over Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula on Friday after its way through the Caribbean.

Meteorologists said that weather conditions have deteriorated across the Yucatan Peninsula beginning Thursday night as Beryl approached. Then it made landfall at around 6 in the morning at the northeast portion of Tulum, Mexico.

Authorities said that a lot of residents in the area have experienced no power supply, adding that there was also minor damage to some structures.

Following this landfall, Beryl is forecasted to reach the South Texas coast as a hurricane on Monday morning.

During this period, the eye is forecasted to move inland. However, the possibility that the storm may try to move towards the north upon nearing the coast at the last minute could push landfall significantly farther to the northern part of Texas.

Hurricane, Storm Watches

So far, a Hurricane Watch is enforced over the Texas coast from the mouth of the Rio Grande northward to San Luis Pass. This is also raised in the northeastern coast from mainland Mexico of Barra el Mezquital to the mouth of the Rio Grande

Meanwhile, there is also a Storm Surge Watch over the Texas coast from the mouth of the Rio Grande northward to High Island.

Meteorologists explained that a Hurricane Watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area. This is typically issued 48 hours before the expected first occurrence of tropical-storm-force winds or the conditions that make outside preparations difficult or dangerous.

On the other hand, a Storm Surge Watch means there is a possibility of life-threatening inundation in the locations in the next 48 hours. This will include increasing water moving inland from the coastline.