Beryl makes landfall as a hurricane near the Texas coast of Matagorda

Waves became common in Texas, following the arrival of Beryl / Photo: Telemundo

Beryl’s core made landfall on Monday as a Category 1 hurricane near Matagorda, Texas, threatening strong winds, a “dangerous” storm surge and flash flooding, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC).

Beryl, the first hurricane to hit the U.S. coast this season, had maximum sustained winds of 130 kilometers per hour (80 miles) when it made landfall at 0900 GMT, the Miami-based NHC said.

The center of the storm is expected to move over eastern Texas on Monday, then across the Mississippi Valley on Tuesday and into the Ohio Valley on Wednesday.

Location

The storm is located 40 miles (65 kilometers) southwest of Houston and 45 miles (70 kilometers) north-northeast of Matagorda, where it made landfall early today.

The first hurricane of the Atlantic season has lowered its maximum sustained winds at landfall to 120 kilometers per hour (75 miles), but remains a hurricane, according to the latest NHC bulletin.

Continued weakening is expected as the center moves inland, with a downgrade to a tropical storm later today and a tropical depression on Tuesday.

Beryl, the earliest Category 4 hurricane system on record this season, is moving north at 12 miles per hour (19 kilometers per hour).

Miami / EFE