Beryl maps show path and landfall forecast of tropical storm that could become a hurricane again (2024)

After hitting Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, Tropical Storm Berylwas churning across the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday and is expected to regain hurricane strength before it makes landfall in the southern Texas Gulf Coast on Monday morning.

The storm blew past the Cayman Islands and Jamaica earlier in the week, initially making landfall over the island of Carriacou in Grenada while tearing through the Caribbean, strengthening at times to a Category 5 hurricane — thestrongest rating.

What is Beryl's projected path?

Tropical Storm Beryl is moving through the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday and is forecast to regain hurricane strength before it approaches South Texas and Northeastern Mexico late Sunday, according to the hurricane center. It is forecast to make landfall in Texas on Monday morning.

A portion of the Texas Gulf Coast could see a total of up to 15 inches of rain beginning Sunday and into midweek, the hurricane center said, along with life-threatening storm surge and powerful hurricane-force winds.

Tropical storm conditions were expected to begin late Sunday, followed by hurricane conditions on Monday, the hurricane center forecast.

"Beryl is forecast to bring damaging hurricane-force winds to portions of the lower and middle Texas coast late Sunday night and Monday," the hurricane center said, adding that storm preparations "should be rushed to completion before tropical storm conditions begin late Sunday."

A storm surge warning was in effect for an approximately 300-mile stretch from the Padre Island National Seashore north to High Island, including Corpus Christi Bay, Matagorda Bay, and Galveston Bay. Texas coastal areas could see storm surges of up to 6 feet above ground, the hurricane center forecasted.

"The combination of storm surge and tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline," the hurricane center said.

Beryl had made landfall in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula Friday as a Category 2 hurricane, just northeast of the resort town of Tulum, before weakening to a tropical storm.

As of Sunday morning, Beryl was centered 220 miles southeast of Corpus Christi, and 225 miles south-southeast of Matagorda, Texas. It was headed northwest at 12 mph with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph. A Category 1 hurricane has minimum sustained winds of at least 74 mph.

A hurricane warning was in effect for the Texas Gulf Coast from Baffin Bay north to Sargent, a town about 70 miles southwest of Houston. A hurricane watch was in place from Baffin Bay south to the mouth of the Rio Grande River. Tropical storm warnings were also in place for portions of the northeastern coast of Mexico.

Hurricane center senior specialist Jack Beven told the Associated Press that Beryl is likely to make landfall somewhere between Brownsville and a bit north of Corpus Christi.

Beven told the AP the official forecast has Beryl gaining 17 to 23 mph in wind speed in 24 hours, but noted the storm intensified more rapidly than forecasters expected earlier in the Caribbean.

"People in southern Texas now need to really keep an eye on the progress of Beryl," Beven said.

Where is Beryl bringing rain and flooding?

Hurricane conditions were possible in South Texas on Monday, preceded by tropical storm conditions on Sunday.

"Heavy rainfall of 5 to 10 inches with localized amounts of 15 inches is expected across portions of the Texas Gulf Coast and eastern Texas beginning late Sunday through midweek. This rainfall will likely produce areas of flash and urban flooding, some of which may be locally considerable. Minor to isolated moderate river flooding is also possible," the center said.

Beryl became thefirst hurricaneof the 2024Atlantic hurricane seasonon Saturday and rapidly strengthened. It first reached Category 4 on Sunday, wavering back to Category 3 before returning to Category 4 on Monday and then becoming a Category 5 later Monday night. It is the first major hurricane east of the Lesser Antilles on record for June, according to Philip Klotzbach, Colorado State University hurricane researcher.

Brian McNoldy, a tropical meteorology researcher for the University of Miami, told the AP that warm waters fueled Beryl, with ocean heat content in the deep Atlantic the highest on record for this time of year.

Beryl has also set recordsas the first June hurricane ever to hit Category 4, the farthest east a storm has ever hit Category 4, and the first storm before September to go from tropical depression to major hurricane in under 48 hours, CBS News weather producer David Parkinson reported.

Beryl was also the earliest Category 5 hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic basin and was only the second Category 5 storm recorded in July since 2005, according to the hurricane center.

Brian Dakss, Alex Sundby and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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