Hurricane Beryl struck the Texas coast early Monday morning, bringing strong winds and heavy rain. The storm made landfall near Matagorda, a barrier island on the Gulf Coast, as a Category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 80 mph.
As of the 11 a.m. update from the National Hurricane Center, Beryl has weakened slightly and is now a Tropical Storm.
The Houston Hobby Airport recently reported a sustained wind of 58 mph and a gust of 84 mph during the morning hours of Monday. Over a million customers were without power as of late morning as crews worked to restore service.
The heaviest rainfall, from 8 to 12 inches, with some locally higher amounts near the coast and extending inland towards Houston and Tyler, will continue to fall through the afternoon. These areas have already experienced significant rainfall this year, raising concerns about flooding. Flash flood warnings are in effect for Houston and surrounding areas. Several tornado warnings have been issued in eastern Texas, and the threat for isolated tornadoes remains on Monday.
Beryl is expected to turn northeast and pick up speed Monday night and Tuesday while continuing to weaken. The storm will move over eastern Texas on Monday before continuing through the Lower Mississippi Valley and into the Ohio Valley by Wednesday.
