By: Troy Qian

Earlier this week, Beryl had intensified from a tropical storm to a category 5 hurricane because of the above average sea surface temperature, it set records for the earliest point in a season that a storm has grown so big.

Before Beryl endangered the Texas coast on Sunday, it caused destruction in several other countries as it made its way through the Caribbean and toward the Gulf of Mexico. After forming in the Atlantic Ocean in late June, Beryl bulldozed through the Caribbean as a Category 4 hurricane before making its way toward Texas. And while it had weakened to a tropical storm, Beryl had regained strength to a Category 1 hurricane when it reached the Texas coast.

As Beryl made its way within a dangerously close distance to Texas already, the storm brought heavy rain and wind. It is expected to make landfall early Monday citizens were urged to evacuate. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick told the NY Times that, “Beryl would be a dangerous storm bringing significant rain, winds, and flooding.” He issued disaster declarations for 121 counties. About 300 flights coming in and out of Houston were canceled on Sunday. Oil and gas companies with operations along the Gulf Coast scaled back production and refining, while several ports closed ahead of Beryl’s arrival.

As the storm made landfall near Matagorda, Texas, as a Category 1 hurricane, a significant weakening was expected as the storm’s center continued to move toward Houston. As the lights flickered a few times before failing completely, at least part of Galveston lost all power.

At least four people were killed in the city, and officials warned that it could take days to restore electricity. The storm has prompted tornado warnings in East Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas.

Image Credit by Suparerg Suksai