Hurricane Beryl is expected to cause dangerous weather conditions as it moves across the Midwest and extends to western New York. The storm is predicted to lose strength by Thursday morning, but not before affecting 11 states in its path.
The storm hit Matagorda, which is located approximately 80 miles south of Houston, and made landfall on the east coast of Texas early on Monday. With wind gusts reaching up to 80 mph, the hurricane was classified as a Category 1. On Monday, the storm battered Houston, causing heavy rainfall of around 12 inches in some parts of the city within a few hours. The aftermath of the storm left several major highways flooded, making it challenging for people to get around and leading to rescue operations. Sadly, at least six Texans lost their lives due to the effects of Beryl.
The danger posed by Beryl extends beyond Texas. According to projections, the storm is expected to traverse the Midwest and reach New York and New England by Tuesday morning. By that time, it will have weakened to a tropical depression.
Weather forecasters are predicting that the storm will move northeast through Arkansas and is projected to hit western New York. Its remnants may even extend further northward to Canada. On Tuesday, Beryl is expected to bring severe weather to parts of western Kentucky, southern Illinois, and southern Indiana. Despite losing most of its strength since making landfall, the storm is still expected to bring 1 to 3 inches of rainfall as it moves north, with some areas receiving patches of three to five inches as it moves across northeast Texas and the Great Lakes region.
According to the latest weather reports, Beryl is expected to bring rainfall to Cleveland, Detroit, and Chicago. However, as it advances towards New York, it is less likely to cause any significant weather disruptions and is only anticipated to result in rain. Meanwhile, in the Houston area, more than two million CenterPoint Energy customers were left without power as Beryl made its way through the region by midday.
During a press conference on Monday, Houston Mayor John Whitmire encouraged residents to remain indoors to steer clear of floodwaters, hazardous debris, and downed power lines. In a show of solidarity, Whitmire stated, “I do not have power, we’re all living this together, we’re all in this together.”
Bridget Robinson, who lives on the Texas coast near Galveston, told the New York Post that her neighborhood is going through a tough time, but she feels lucky to have a generator that keeps the lights on. Meanwhile, near the Astrodome in Houston, firefighters rescued a man whose pickup truck was almost completely submerged. They threw him a life jacket and a life ring, pulling him to safety. According to Samuel Peña, the chief of the Houston Fire Department, his team cannot keep servicing every call in the same way.
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