After hitting Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, Beryl returned to the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Forecasters expected it to strengthen back into a hurricane by Saturday and potentially make landfall along the Texas coast, prompting officials to warn residents to prepare for possible impact.
Beryl became the earliest storm in the Atlantic to reach Category 5 status this season, causing at least 11 deaths in the Caribbean islands earlier in the week. It hit Mexico as a Category 2 hurricane, knocking down trees but causing no injuries or fatalities, then weakened to a tropical storm as it crossed the peninsula.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center anticipated Beryl to intensify before hitting land, leading to expanded hurricane and storm surge watches. Officials cautioned about the increasing risk of strong hurricane winds and dangerous storm surges in northeastern Mexico and parts of Texas by late Sunday and Monday.
Authorities in Texas advised residents along the entire coastline to prepare for potential flooding, heavy rain, and strong winds. Hurricane and storm surge watches were issued from the mouth of the Rio Grande to San Luis Pass.
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, acting governor while Gov. Greg Abbott was abroad and declared a disaster preemptively for 40 counties. He urged coastal residents to stay alert and prepared, emphasizing the importance of readiness.
Ahead of the storm, some coastal Texas cities initiated voluntary evacuations in flood-prone areas, restricted beach camping, and recommended tourists with recreational vehicles in coastal parks to relocate. In Corpus Christi, officials quickly distributed 10,000 sandbags to prepare for potential flooding.
Earlier in the week, Beryl had caused significant damage in Jamaica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Barbados. The storm resulted in fatalities in Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Venezuela, and Jamaica.
Before Beryl’s landfall in Mexico, authorities had evacuated some tourists and residents from low-lying areas around the Yucatan Peninsula. Despite these efforts, tens of thousands of people remained in vulnerable locations, bracing for strong winds and storm surges, particularly in the low-lying areas near Tulum.
