Hurricane warnings issued as Beryl expected to make landfall on Texas coast Monday

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Hurricane warnings have been issued for the Texas Gulf Coast as Beryl continues its menacing march toward the Lone Star State.

A hurricane warning means that hurricane conditions with sustained winds of 74 mph or higher are expected within the next 36 hours. In addition to the threat of damaging winds, dangerous storm surge and 1 foot (30 cm) of rainfall or more are possible during the first half of the week.

Beryl remains a tropical storm, having lost some of its energy after crossing Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on Friday morning. But as Beryl slowly regains strength in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico this weekend, it is likely to regain hurricane status as it heads north toward the heart of the Texas Gulf Coast on Monday.

“We expect a lot of that intensification to occur in the last 12 to 18 hours before landfall,” National Hurricane Center Director Michael Brennan told FOX Weather. “So people need to prepare as if there’s going to be a hurricane, because that’s what we’re expecting and all the dangers that come with that.”

A dangerous storm surge of up to 5 feet (1.5 metres) is expected to impact a wide swath of the Texas coast Sunday night into Monday, while torrential rains totaling 10 to 15 inches (25 to 38 centimetres) threaten flash and urban flooding, some of which could be significant. Beryl’s powerful hurricane-force winds could cause power outages and property damage.

The weather is expected to deteriorate rapidly Monday morning from Brownsville to Houston, and preparations should be underway for a hurricane to make landfall later in the day.

“It’s going to be a very difficult system to manage because it’s so disorganized right now and it’s going to look disorganized as it gets closer to shore, and it’s going to be harder to motivate people to take action,” said Bryan Norcross, a FOX Weather hurricane specialist. “But we have a situation where it could significantly intensify (Sunday) as it gets closer to shore, right on the coast.”

Norcross says if that were the case, we could end up with a pretty major hurricane.

“It probably won’t get above Category 2, but we’ve seen storms intensify rapidly just off the coast, and that’s not completely out of the question.”

KNOW YOUR AREA: HURRICANE EVACUATION ZONES IN TEXAS

How much storm surge can be expected along the Texas coast?

A storm surge warning is also in effect from Padre Island to San Luis Pass, including Corpus Christi and Matagorda bays. A storm surge warning means there is a possibility of life-threatening water level rises within the next 36 hours.

Storm surge models indicate that 3 to 5 feet of water is possible from Baffin Bay to Sargent Bay, along with Corpus Christi Bay and Matagorda Bay beginning Sunday night and into Monday.

“The deepest waters will be along the immediate coast, near and to the right of center, where the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves,” the NHC warned. “Surge-related inundation depends on the relative timing of the surge and the tidal cycle, and can vary widely over short distances.”

How much rain is expected in Texas from Beryl?

Much of East Texas should prepare for several inches of rain from Beryl. Broad swaths of 5 to 10 inches of rain and localized amounts up to 15 inches are expected across portions of the Texas Gulf Coast and East Texas from Sunday through the middle of next week.

“These rains are likely to produce areas of flash and urban flooding, some of which may be of local significance,” the NHC warned.

The Houston area is currently forecast to see 5 to 8 inches of rain, with heavier amounts in the southern and western suburbs.

Any of the outer rainbands could also produce tropical-storm-force gusts and even spawn an isolated tornado, said forecasters at the National Weather Service office in Corpus Christi, Texas.

WHAT IS IKE DAM?

Evacuation orders issued for some Texas communities

Cameron County, Texas, was one of the first in the state to issue voluntary evacuations.

Authorities advised people living in mobile homes and visitors staying in parks to seek sturdier shelter.

The county was one of 40 that were part of a disaster declaration signed by Acting Gov. Dan Patrick.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is currently out of the country but said he is monitoring the situation.

Communities in low-lying areas and along the coast have already begun offering sandbags to residents, which will be available until supplies last.