Flood Risk
Beryl has unleashed havoc across the southern United States, wreaking havoc in Texas and prompting warnings of potential flash floods in several other states.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) issued an advisory on Tuesday morning, cautioning that Beryl could trigger flash flooding “from the lower and mid-Mississippi Valley to the Great Lakes” until Wednesday as it moves across wide areas of the country. Additionally, tornadoes are a possibility in parts of Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, according to the NHC.
Making landfall in Texas as a Category 1 hurricane on Monday morning with winds of 130 km/h (80 mph) in Matagorda, Beryl’s force diminished as it moved further inland.
At least four fatalities were reported in Texas due to the storm, with an additional death in Louisiana, authorities confirmed.
After being downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm and then a tropical depression, Beryl caused widespread power outages amidst oppressive heat.
Over 2.3 million homes and businesses in the vicinity of Houston, Texas, were without electricity on Tuesday morning, down from a peak of over 2.7 million during Monday’s outages, as reported by PowerOutage.us.
The lack of cooling in homes, downed power lines, and dysfunctional traffic lights prompted officials to advise residents to remain indoors whenever possible. Texas state and local authorities warned that it may take several days to fully restore power.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire reassured citizens at a press conference on Monday, emphasizing ongoing efforts to ensure public safety and urging vigilance against the dangers of flooding and heat-related issues.
Residents like Rose Michalec, 51, recounted significant damage in her south Houston neighborhood, including downed fences far exceeding expectations for a Category 1 storm.
In downtown Houston, extensive flooding affected various areas, including the usual walking paths of locals like 76-year-old Floyd Robinson, who described the storm’s unprecedented magnitude for this time of year.
Before reaching the US, Beryl swept through multiple Caribbean nations, causing fatalities with torrential rains and strong winds. It marked the earliest occurrence of a Category 5 storm in July and the first June Category 4 hurricane on record, a rarity attributed partly to climate change’s impact on storm intensity fueled by warmer ocean temperatures.
Scientists emphasize that warmer oceans provide more energy for storms like Beryl, potentially leading to their rapid intensification, underscoring the role of climate change in shaping severe weather patterns.
