Texas braces for storm - Storm "Beryl" is slowly advancing on Texas
Tropical Storm "Beryl" continues to move towards the US Gulf Coast and the border with Mexico. After it was a very strong hurricane in the Caribbean with winds up to 130 miles per hour, it is now moving northwest over the Gulf of Mexico. The US Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida, expects it to reach the coast of the state of Texas late Sunday or early Monday.
The storm's center was located about 875 kilometers south-southwest of Corpus Christi, Texas, at 11:00 AM CEST. The wind speed has decreased to 67 miles per hour. However, meteorologists expect "Beryl" to regain hurricane strength (at least 74 miles per hour) just before making landfall.
In Texas, meteorologists warn of dangerous wind damage and storm surges. Local authorities are urging coastal residents to prepare for the storm.
"Beryl" was a Hurricane of Category 2 with sustained winds of up to 150 miles per hour near the Caribbean resort of Tulum on the Yucatan Peninsula on Friday. It uprooted trees and overturned street signs, but the damages were less severe than anticipated. No deaths were reported initially.
Damage on several Caribbean islands
"Beryl" had passed over several Caribbean islands and left a trail of destruction in its wake. At least 11 people were reported dead, and more than 90% of the houses on some islands were damaged or destroyed, according to the UN Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Response Office in Geneva. At one point, "Beryl" was a Category 5 hurricane with winds of up to 435 miles per hour.
According to JPS, more than half of the households in Jamaica are still without electricity. OCHA reports that 40,000 people in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, 100,000 in Grenada, and 120,000 in Jamaica have been affected by the storm.
Never before in the Atlantic hurricane season has such a strong storm been recorded so early. The season begins in June and lasts for half a year. Warmer sea water due to climate change increases the likelihood of strong tropical storms.
- Despite weakening, Tropical Storm "Beryl" is expected to regain hurricane strength before making landfall in Texas, USA, as warned by meteorologists in Miami, Florida.
- The storm's current trajectory indicates it will reach the Texas-Mexico border by late Sunday or early Monday, according to the US Hurricane Center in Miami.
- Preparations are underway in Corpus Christi, Texas, as the storm's center is located about 875 kilometers south-southwest of the city.
- While "Beryl" was once a powerful Category 2 hurricane over the Caribbean's Tulum with winds up to 150 miles per hour, its current wind speed has decreased to 67 miles per hour.
- In the Dominican Republic, the aftermath of Tropical Storm "Beryl" reveals a trail of destruction, with at least 11 reported deaths and extensive damage to housing on several Caribbean islands.
- The UN Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Response Office in Geneva reports over 90% of houses on some islands were damaged or destroyed by the storm, affecting thousands of people in Jamaica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada.
- The early emergence of such a strong storm in the Atlantic hurricane season is unprecedented, according to JPS, with warmer sea water due to climate change potentially increasing the likelihood of such events.
- The coastal residents of Miami, Florida, and other parts of Florida are urged to prepare for potential impacts from Tropical Storm "Beryl" as it approaches the US Gulf Coast.
- Trinidad and Tobago, located near the Caribbean Sea, and Barbados, an island nation in the Caribbean, are also keeping a close eye on the storm's path, as tropical weather systems can occasionally affect these regions as well.
- In the Gulf of Mexico, oil and gas operations may be impacted by Tropical Storm "Beryl," affecting energy production in the region, including in Venezuela, lying east of the Caribbean Sea.
