US: Hurricane Beryl strengthens, alert issued for Texas coast

Officials in the US state of Texas urged coastal residents to brace for a potential hit byHurricane Beryl on Saturday (July 6), as the storm is expected to regain strength in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

“We are expecting the storm to make landfall somewhere on the Texas coast around Monday (July 8), if the forecast is accurate,” said Jack Beven, a senior hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida.

Hurricane Beryl, the earliest Category 5 hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic, left a trail of destruction across the Caribbean islands earlier this week.

The storm claimed at least 11 lives before weakening to a Category 2 hurricane and making landfall in Mexico.

While battering Mexico, Hurricane Beryltoppled trees but fortunately caused no further injuries or deaths.

The US National Hurricane Center predicts that Beryl will intensify before making landfall, prompting expanded hurricane and storm surge watches.

Beven said, “a hurricane warning is expected to be issued Sunday.”

The hurricane will bring a risky storm surge andfloodportions of the Texas coast, said thesenior hurricane specialist.

Additionally,hurricane-force winds will be witnessed bya small area and tropical storm conditions with heavy rains will be seen across the rest of the Texas coast, he said.

The National Hurricane Center has warned of a growing risk of damaging hurricane-force winds and life-threatening storm surges late Sunday and Monday.

Texas officials warned the state’s entire coastline to be prepared for possible flooding, heavy rain and wind as they wait for a more defined path of the storm.

As ofSaturday, Beryl was about 460 miles (740 kilometres) southeast of Corpus Christi and had top sustained winds of 60 mph (95 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center.

Hurricane Beryl

Beryl shattered records, becoming the first June hurricane to reach Category 4 and the earliest ever to reach the devastating Category 5 in July.

It is very rare for such a powerful storm to form this early in the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from early June to late November.

Scientists claim climate change likely plays a role in the swift strengthening of storms like Beryl since there is more energy in a warmer ocean for them to feed on.

(With inputs from agencies)