Grenada Hurricane "Beryl" reaches the US coast

Hurricane "Beryl" has reached the US coast. The hurricane made landfall in the early morning (local time) near the Texas town of Matagorda with wind speeds of almost 130 kilometers per hour, according to the US hurricane center (NHC). Meteorologists warned of life-threatening flooding from storm surges along the coast. Matagorda is located around 130 kilometers southwest of the metropolis of Houston.

Around 270,000 households in the affected region were temporarily without power, reported the website "Poweroutage.us". "Beryl" had initially weakened to a tropical storm over the sea, but was then upgraded to the lowest category 1 hurricane shortly before its arrival in Texas - with wind speeds of around 120 kilometers per hour.

Texas braces itself

According to media reports, some residents and store owners in the threatened areas on the Texas coast have boarded up their windows. However, many people did not heed the authorities' call to seek safety. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick declared a state of emergency in 121 counties. An evacuation was ordered in the district of Refugio, where around 7,000 people live.

According to forecasts, "Beryl" will weaken again over land and move inland in a north-easterly direction. It will move across East Texas and Arkansas late Monday and Tuesday.

The foothills have already made their presence felt with heavy rain, strong winds and stormy seas, according to local media reports. According to the NHC, flash floods and flooding are expected in parts of the state. For the upper part of the Texas coast and the area around the metropolis of Houston, the authorities warned of possible tornadoes.

Heavy rain and wind are also expected in north-eastern Mexico.

"Beryl" has been keeping people in the region on tenterhooks for more than a week after it formed in the Atlantic at the end of June. In the south-east of the Caribbean, it temporarily reached the highest hurricane strength, category 5, i.e. sustained winds of more than 251 kilometers per hour. It swept over several islands in the Lesser Antilles, made landfall on the east coast of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula and then moved on through the Gulf of Mexico.

Damage in Mexico and devastation on Caribbean islands

In Mexico, "Beryl" uprooted trees and knocked over road signs. Power was cut in large parts of the much-visited vacation region between Tulum and Cancún.

At least eleven people lost their lives in the Caribbean region, including three in Venezuela. On some of the island states of Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, more than 90 percent of homes were damaged or destroyed, according to the governments. Jamaica also experienced major damage and widespread power outages in some places.

Climate change favors strong storms like "Beryl"

Never before has such a strong storm been recorded so early in the Atlantic hurricane season, which begins in June and lasts six months. Warmer seawater as a result of climate change makes strong hurricanes more likely.

The strength of hurricanes is measured according to a scale developed by meteorologists Herbert Saffir and Robert Simpson: A category 1 hurricane reaches up to 153 kilometers per hour. Category 2 applies up to 177 kilometers per hour, category 3 up to 208 and category 4 up to 251.

Devastating damage is threatened by a hurricane of the highest category 5, which has wind speeds of more than 251 kilometers per hour. Hurricanes often gain strength as they move over the sea. Over land, they quickly lose their strength as there is no supply of warm, humid air masses.

SDA