By: Maggie Z

Hurricane Beryl, the first storm to form in the 2024 hurricane season, smashed into Texas on Friday. The storm had gathered moisture during its long journey from Central America, which it moved on from around Wednesday after terrorizing islands like Jamaica. On Friday before impact, Hurricane Beryl was forecasted to move inland and weaken. Unfortunately, that’s not quite what happened.

After touching down in Matagorda, Texas, as a Category 1 storm, Hurricane Beryl moved inland and intensified into a Category 5 hurricane, with winds reaching over 100 miles per hour. Houston was hit the hardest, with over 10 inches of rainfall and winds blowing the rain sideways, like sleet. At least two people were killed. One was a 74-year-old woman, and the other was a middle-aged man. Both people died as a result of being crushed by trees falling through their roofs. Houston’s fire department chief told Texans to stay in shelters and evacuate if possible.

The storm also powered out many homes. “Many in East Texas woke up Monday morning to no electricity. The number of customers without power rose from about 100,000 overnight to more than 950,000 by 7 a.m. local time, according to CenterPoint Energy, a utility company that services the region,” Derek Bryson Taylor reported from Houston.

In addition to the millions worth of damage that Hurricane Beryl has caused, it has also set a record. Hurricane Beryl became the first tropical storm to form so early in hurricane season in all of hurricane history!

Image Credit by Pixabay