AccuWeather is wrapping up live coverage of Beryl, which has left millions without power in Texas. AccuWeather meteorologists are warning that Beryl could fuel flooding rain and severe weather in parts of the Midwest and Northeast through the end of the week. For additional coverage, stream AccuWeather NOW anytime on our website. Stay up to date on the latest weather in your area by downloading the AccuWeather mobile app and visiting AccuWeather.com. And keep an eye on weather news and forecasts by following AccuWeather on:
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Over 2 million electric customers across Texas are still without power following Beryl, and people are flocking to areas with power to fill up gas cans to fuel their generators. “Fortunately, here it looks like things are moving pretty good about getting the power back online,” Storm Chaser Aaron Jayjack said on Tuesday morning while at a gas station in Palacios, Texas. “My guess is they are trying to prioritize these locations, gas stations, supermarkets, the essential places, get that power up first.” Watch Jayjack’s interview on the AccuWeather Network below:
Outages from Hurricane Beryl cause concern during Texas heat and humidity. Storm chaser Aaron Jayjack reports that people are stocking up on gas for generators and crews working to restore power.
A satellite image showing Beryl over the United States on Tuesday morning. (NOAA/GOES-EAST)
Beryl is no longer a hurricane, but it is still bringing dangerous weather conditions to part of the United States, including areas more than 1,000 miles away from where it made landfall on Monday morning. On Tuesday morning, Beryl was spreading from Arkansas and Missouri toward the Great Lakes, and will spawn heavy rain, gusty winds and isolated tornadoes over the region throughout the day. By Wednesday, it will reach the Northeast where it will bring a heightened risk of severe thunderstorms.
“Certain tropical systems carry the risk of tornadoes well beyond the area, near where they make landfall. Beryl may continue to be one of those systems,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said. “Add in energy from the jet stream may enhance that risk near the Great Lakes and Northeast.” Lingering moisture from the tropical system will promote flooding downpours along the Atlantic Coast on Thursday and Friday, including in New York City, Boston and Philadelphia.
Fallen power lines on Termini San Louis Pass Road on Galveston Island as a result of Hurricane Beryl on Monday, July 8, 2024. (Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
A critical situation is unfolding in Texas as widespread power outages continue to affect the areas hardest hit by Beryl. Over 2.3 million residents across the state remain without power, including 1.7 million CenterPoint Energy customers in the Houston area, according to PowerOutage.us. Officials warn that some people could be without electricity for several days. “Based on current progress with its damage assessment and initial restoration, CenterPoint now expects to have 1 million impacted customers restored by the end of the day on Wednesday, July 10,” the company said in a press release on Monday evening.
The extended power outages could lead to dangerous conditions as heat and humidity build in the wake of Beryl. In Houston, temperatures are forecasted to reach the low to mid-90s on Tuesday and Wednesday. When considering humidity, strong sunshine, and other factors, the AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures will likely exceed 100 degrees for several hours during the afternoon.
AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter noted that while such heat is not unusual for Texas, it could become hazardous as people may not have easy access to air conditioning and fans. “We recommend that people stay hydrated, take frequent breaks and check in on especially young people, older people and people that have medical conditions that might put them at an extra elevated risk to being susceptible to heat,” Porter added.
Beryl made landfall as a strengthening Category 1 hurricane in southeast Texas early Monday morning and then ripped through the state as a tropical storm, causing widespread destruction.
The number of US deaths related to Beryl has risen to 8. A woman in Louisiana was killed after a tree fell on her home in Benton, the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post,
Seven deaths have also been reported in Texas.
“Lost someone to fire in southeast Houston due to lightning, we believe it’s storm-related,” Houston Mayor John Whitmire said during a news conference Monday, according to CNN.
Whitmire also said a civilian employee of the Houston Police Department died when his vehicle became submerged in floodwater while driving to work Monday morning.
Two people, a 54-year-old man and a 74-year-old woman, were also killed Monday morning in Harris County by falling trees. ABC13 is reporting three deaths in Texas’ Montgomery County as a result of Hurricane Beryl including a man in his 40s who was hit by a tree while in a tractor and a man and a woman who “were discovered in a tent in a wooded area in Magnolia,” according to county officials.
That brings the number of deaths related to Beryl to 19. The powerful storm killed at least eleven people as it whipped through the Caribbean islands last week and later hammered Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula.
With hundreds of thousands without power across Texas, hundreds of people flocked inland in search of gas and food on July 8. A huge line has formed at this local Buc-ee’s gas station in Dickinson.
Over 2 million people in Texas were without power Monday evening, and extended outages due to Beryl could soon become life-threatening. AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures are forecast to top 100 degrees later this week in Galveston, Bay City, and Port Lavaca, Texas.
This will be especially dangerous for people working hard in hot conditions to clean up after the storm without the option of utilizing an air conditioner.
CenterPoint Energy released a statement Monday afternoon saying the storm impacted the company’s customers, systems and infrastructure more than it anticipated, resulting in outages to more than 2.26 million customers at its peak. The utility maintains the systems that deliver power to most residents in Harris and Fort Bend counties, along with several other areas of Greater Houston. About 2.8 million Houston-area customers rely on CenterPoint, according to the company.
“We are mobilizing all of our available resources, as well as mutual assistance resources from other utility companies, to begin the process of quickly and safely restoring power to our customers,” said Lynnae Wilson, Senior Vice President, Electric Business at CenterPoint. “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.”
Debris blocks FM2031, the main access road, after Hurricane Beryl came ashore nearby Monday, July 8, 2024, in Matagorda. (Jon Shapley/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
Centerpoint says crews have begun clearing away storm debris so they can assess the damage to the electric system and reroute power on unaffected lines as quickly as possible. After the full extent of damage is determined, CenterPoint says it will begin publishing estimates for substantial restoration.
The company added that it hopes to deploy mobile generation units to provide temporary power to critical facilities like cooling centers, hospitals, first responder locations, senior centers, and schools.
CenterPoint's Power Alert Service provides community-specific outage information, including estimated restoration times via phone call, text or emails. Customers can sign up for the alerts through their CenterPoint online account.
CenterPoint also provides general outage information through its Storm Center,
Floodwaters overtook vehicles throughout Houston as Beryl tore through the city on July 8, forcing water rescues like these.
Two more deaths due to Hurricane Beryl have been reported, bringing the total number of fatalities in Texas to four, officials said. The latest is a Houston resident who died in a lightning-sparked fire.
“Lost someone to fire in southeast Houston due to lightning, we believe it’s storm-related,” Houston Mayor John Whitmire said during a news conference Monday, according to CNN.
Whitmire also said a civilian employee of the Houston Police Department died when his vehicle became submerged in floodwater while driving to work Monday morning.
Whitmire said the man called the Houston Police Department for help but ultimately drowned.
Two other people also died after trees fell on top of homes across the Houston area as Beryl roared ashore in southeast Texas on Monday morning. That brings the number of deaths related to Beryl to 15. The powerful storm killed at least eleven people as it whipped through the Caribbean islands last week and later hammered Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula.
On Monday, floodwaters overwhelmed roads and highways throughout Houston as Beryl unleashed more than a month’s worth of rain in under 12 hours. Amid the relentless tropical downpours, emergency crews tirelessly rescued motorists stranded in waist-deep water. Watch two of these dramatic water rescues below:
Floodwaters overtook vehicles throughout Houston as Beryl tore through the city on July 8, forcing water rescues like these.
Tornado warnings were issued in eastern Texas and western Louisiana on Wednesday afternoon as Beryl moved northward, including several likely tornadoes south of Shreveport, Louisiana. Tropical downpours were also marching northward, reaching eastern Oklahoma, Arkansas and southern Missouri, and will continue to shift northeastward as Beryl tracks northeastward.
Meanwhile, conditions are gradually improving along the coast of Texas, which took the brunt of the storm. In Houston, rain is retreating, although some roads remain closed due to flooding.
Houses along the coast of Surfside Beach, Texas, located 55 miles south of Houston, were destroyed by Beryl as it slammed into the state as a Category 1 hurricane. A drone captured aerial footage of several homes in the town that were ripped apart by the powerful winds, including one building missing a roof and several walls. Watch the video below to see the aftermath of Beryl:
Drone shots from around Surfside Beach, Texas, show homes that were completely destroyed by the fierce winds of Hurricane Beryl on July 8.
After becoming the first tropical system to make landfall in the United States this year, strong winds roared inland. A wind gust of 97 mph was measured at Freeport, located 55 miles south of Houston but wind gusts in downtown Houston were as high as 89 mph at the John Dunn Helistop, 84 mph at the Houston-Hobby Airport, and 83 mph at George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Those gusts were higher than those recorded during the Houston derecho event on May 16, 2024 (71, 62 and 62 mph, respectively).
A high storm surge powered inland, cresting at 6.4 feet at Morgan's Point near LaPorte, Texas, though it didn't stop there. As southeasterly winds drove the surge up the Houston Ship Channel, a 9.5-foot rise in the water was reported at the Port of Houston Wharves, just 6.5 miles southeast of downtown. The White Oak Bayou rose 25 feet in 6 hours Monday morning, after more than a foot of rain. One weather station at Delmonte Park, Houston recorded 13.55 inches in its rain gauge.
With hundreds of thousands without power across Texas, hundreds of people flocked inland in search of gas and food on July 8. A huge line has formed at this local Buc-ee’s gas station in Dickinson.
More than 2.6 million people across Texas are without power as Beryl sweeps across the state, and the widespread outages are having more implications than being left in the dark. Some electrical outages could last for days, meaning food in refrigerators or freezers will spoil. “We are struggling to have food and losing that food would be difficult,” Eva Costancio told The Associated Press. Additionally, downed trees and power lines can be dangerous for folks who want to head to nearby stores to get bags of ice.
Authorities in Texas have confirmed a second US death related to Beryl, which is now a tropical storm as it barrels across Texas. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said a tree fell on a home, striking a 74-year-old woman in the Houston suburb of Bammel. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Beryl reached Houston, Texas, bringing strong winds and flooding along with power outages to the downtown area on July 8.
Earlier Monday morning, Gonzalez reported that a 53-year-old man was killed in the Houston suburb of Humble when a tree fell on his house, trapping him beneath the debris. The man was riding out Hurricane Beryl with his family. His wife and children were unharmed.
That brings the number of deaths related to Beryl to 13. The powerful storm killed at least eleven people as it whipped through the Caribbean islands last week and later hammered Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula.
The strongest part of Beryl swung through Houston on Monday morning, pelting the city and surrounding areas with windswept rain. An 82-mph wind gust was clocked at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, and a gust of 84 mph was measured at Houston’s Hobby Airport. Tree limbs and debris were being blown around amid the wind, making treacherous travel on roads that were not already flooded. Watch the video below for scenes across Houston during the worst of the storm:
Beryl reached Houston, Texas, bringing strong winds and flooding along with power outages to the downtown area on July 8.
Over 2 million people in Texas were without power on Monday morning, and extended outages due to Beryl could become dangerous after the storm has passed. AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures are forecast to top 100 degrees later this week in Galveston, Bay City, and Port Lavaca, Texas,
“The heat can be dangerous for people who do not have power as they work to clean up debris and repair storm damage. Heat exhaustion and even heat stroke can set in quickly if people don’t have a place to cool down. Everyone dealing with the Texas heat who lost power needs to have access to shaded areas and drink plenty of water to stay hydrated,” said AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jon Porter.
Power lines downed by the effects of Hurricane Beryl block a highway near Palacios, Texas, Monday, July 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Generators can be a vital resource during extended power outages, but before firing up a generator, experts recommend following these guidelines to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning:
• Generators should be placed a minimum of 30 feet away from the house.
• Generators should be operated in dry areas and kept away from windows, doors and any other openings into the home.
• Place generators in an area where there is 3 to 4 feet of clear space on all sides to ensure proper ventilation.
• Be sure to know the signs and symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, which include dizziness, blurred vision, loss of consciousness, shortness of breath and nausea and vomiting, according to the Mayo Clinic.
A Texas man became the first U.S. victim of Hurricane Beryl. The 53-year-old was killed in the Houston suburb of Humble when a tree fell on his house, trapping him beneath debris, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, who said the man was riding out Hurricane Beryl with his family. His wife and children were unharmed.
The wind from Beryl knocked out power to more than 1.8 million homes and businesses in southeastern Texas Monday morning.
Wind gusts from Beryl could also impact high-rise buildings in downtown Houston where repairs are still underway after a derecho in May blew out hundreds of windows.
Video from the Texas coast shows Beryl’s impact as it swept through the region on July 7 and 8. The storm made landfall near Matagorda, Texas, as a Category 1 hurricane in the overnight hours of July 8.
“Wind gusts above 80 mph could compromise windows and cause more damage to buildings in Houston that were hit hard by the derecho this spring,” said AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jon Porter.
High waters quickly began to close streets in storm-weary Houston, the nation’s fourth-largest city, which was again under flood warnings after heavy storms in recent months flooded neighborhoods.
Beryl killed at least eleven people as it whipped through the Caribbean islands last week and later hammered Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula.
Hurricane Beryl is wreaking havoc across southeastern Texas as the storm blasts the state with intense, wind-driven rain. Over 1.3 million electric customers are without power, according to CenterPoint Energy, with more outages likely as hurricane-force winds spread inland.
The heaviest rain is drenching the Houston area, where rainfall totals have already exceeded the historical average for all of July. An AccuWeather Ambient Weather Station in Texas City, TX, located 38 miles southeast of Houston, has already measured 12.61 inches of rain. Streets across the region have been closed due to flooding, complicating the Monday morning commute.
Nearly 1,000 flights at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, including 80% of all departing flights, according to FlightAware. The numerous flight cancellations could create a ripple effect nationwide, disrupting flights at airports hundreds or even thousands of miles from Beryl.
Reporting from the eye of the storm, Storm Chaser Aaron Jayjack witnessed strong winds tearing a metal roof from a storage facility as Beryl passed through Sargent, Texas, on July 8.
Storm Chaser Aaron Jayjack was reporting on Beryl's landfall from Sargent, Texas, located about 40 miles northeast of Matagorda and witnessed strong winds tearing a metal roof from a storage facility.
Beryl strengthened into a hurricane again late Sunday night and made landfall near Matagorda, Texas, around 4:00 a.m. CDT with sustained winds of 80 mph. The powerful storm brought damaging winds, extreme rainfall, storm surge flooding, and even tornadoes to parts of the south-central United States.
Beryl made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane on Matagorda Peninsula, a 38-mile-long barrier island on the Texas Gulf Coast, just before 4 a.m. CDT Monday morning, about 150 miles up the Gulf Coast from Corpus Christi. The storm roared ashore with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph.
"I'm getting hammered by the strongest winds yet by Hurricane Beryl," AccuWeather storm chaser Aaron Jayjack reported from a dark Sargent Beach as winds roared around him. "We've lost power, I can't see much, but I can see roofs ripping off."
According to PowerOutage.US, about 146,000 customers are without power in Texas, with 16,000 in Matagorda County and 15,000 in nearby Brazoria. As of 6:30 a.m. CDT, Wharton, Jackson, and Galveston counties account for nearly 13,000 more customers without power.
Storm chaser Aaron Jayjack recorded as strong winds from Beryl blew around heavy rain on July 7.
Beryl restrengthened into a hurricane on Sunday while moving over very warm Gulf waters after making landfall as a Category 2 hurricane Friday on Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula.
The area near landfall in eastern Texas is enduring the strongest wind gusts from Beryl. Outer rain bands are bringing flooding downpours and a risk of tornadoes to the area, including in highly populated Houston. Dangerous storm surge flooding is beginning along the coast.
"Beryl is expected to produce a damaging and life-threatening storm surge as high as 6-10 feet in and around Matagorda Bay," said Pydynowski. "This will also push water into smaller bays like Lavaca Bay and bring storm surge flooding to towns such as Point Comfort and Port Lavaca."
Residents in Harris County, Texas – which includes Houston – should take shelter from midnight until noon Monday as Beryl moves through the region, county judge Lina Hidalgo announced Sunday.
“We need you to prepare and be ready for the next 24 hours,” Hidalgo said in a Sunday evening news conference.
AccuWeather meteorologists are warning that rainfall tallying up to the AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 24 inches can fall over a span of less than a day across eastern Texas into Monday and Monday night.
"The most intense rainfall, ranging from 8 to 12 inches in most areas, will occur near the storm’s landfall location along the east-central Texas coast, extending up to Houston and Tyler," added Roys. Many of the same spots in this zone have had a very wet spring and early summer, which led to deadly flooding.
Time is running out for people to prepare for Beryl, including areas surrounding Galveston, Texas, where a storm surge of 3 to 6 feet is expected. Multiple evacuation orders have been issued for the Galveston area, according to KTRK, due to the anticipated impacts from Beryl.
•Mandatory evacuations Quintana, Texas
•Voluntary evacuations for Omega Bay, Intracoastal Canal, and coastal areas of Matagorda County, Texas
Officials warned residents that flooding could make some roads difficult to impossible to navigate during the height of the storm.
Tropical downpours from Beryl have already reached the coast of Texas, and conditions will worsen as the center of the storm approaches land. AccuWeather forecasters expect landfall to occur around 3 a.m. CDT Monday near East Matagorda Bay, Texas. While this is more than 100 miles northeast of Corpus Christi, residents should not let their guard down.
Storm surge along the coast near Corpus Christi is predicted to reach 3 to 6 feet while winds howl up to 80 mph, causing flooding in low-lying coastal areas. The worst conditions in the city are expected between 10 p.m. Sunday and 8 a.m. Monday. Additionally, forecasters are predicting 1-2 inches of rain for the city, which is not far from the historical average of 2.54 inches for all of July.
A satellite image of Tropical Storm Beryl on Sunday afternoon with the center of the storm swirling just off the coast of Texas. (NOAA/GOES-EAST)
Since emerging over the Gulf of Mexico, Beryl has been a tropical storm, but AccuWeather meteorologists expect it to become a Category 1 hurricane before making landfall early Monday morning. As of 4 p.m. CDT Sunday, maximum sustained winds were 65 mph, just 9 mph shy of hurricane status.
Hurricane warnings are in effect from Baffin Bay to San Luis Pass, Texas, which includes Galveston and Corpus Christi. Areas farther inland, including Houston, are under tropical storm warnings. Winds in these areas could be strong enough to cause power outages, with outages in the hardest-hit areas potentially lasting for several days.
Preparations are underway along the Texas coast as Beryl sets its sights on the region.
It looked like any other weekend along the coast of Texas, but residents were making final preparations ahead of Beryl. "It may look like it's business as usual and it's just another sunny summer day here on the beach, but people are talking about the storm and people are making plans," Storm Chaser Mike Scantlin said while in South Padre Island over the weekend. Homes and businesses were being boarded up to minimize any damage from the approaching storm.
Luan Nguyen boards up windows as he helps prepare for Beryl's arrival, Sunday, July 7, 2024, in Palaciios, Texas. Texas officials are telling coastal residents to expect power outages and flooding as Beryl was forecast to regain hurricane strength before making landfall. Landfall was expected early Monday. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Sandbag stations were open throughout the weekend in towns all along the coast to help people prepare for expected flooding as Beryl arrives and moves inland on Monday.
Billy Tran cleans up storm debris from Hurricane Nicholas Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021, in Surfside Beach, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Residents near the coast of Texas who moved to the area in the past few years may soon experience their first hurricane. While the past three hurricane seasons have been near to above the historical average, the vast majority of the tropical storms and hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico have focused on Louisiana and Florida.
The most recent hurricane to make landfall in Texas was Hurricane Nicholas, which roared ashore near Sargent Beach, Texas, on Sept. 14, 2021, as a Category 1. Nicholas unloaded 13.96 inches of rain in Galveston, Texas, and produced a wind gust of 95 mph. Since then, the only other tropical system to hit Texas was Tropical Storm Harold, which was a fast-moving storm that made landfall on Padre Island on Aug. 22, 2023.
