Storm likely to make Texas landfall as hurricane

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Texans were bracing for Tropical Storm Beryl’s approach with virtually the entire coastline under a hurricane watch on Saturday, ahead of its predicted landfall as a potentially damaging hurricane.

The storm, previously a hurricane when it barreled through Jamaica and the Caribbean earlier this week and made landfall on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on Friday morning, has left at least 11 people dead in its wake. It weakened to a tropical storm as it moved across the Yucatan but is expected to strengthen again to a hurricane as it makes its way toward Texas, according to the National Hurricane Center.

“This is a determined storm that is still strong,” Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said at a news briefing on Friday.

At 10 a.m. Texas local time, Beryl was about 460 miles southeast of Corpus Christi in the Gulf of Mexico and was traveling west-northwest at 12 mph. It’s expected to turn to the northwest on Saturday, then north-northwest by Sunday night and reach the Texas coast late Sunday or early Monday after re-strengthening as a Category 1 hurricane.

Its winds were up to 60 mph Saturday, with higher gusts. Little strengthening is expected Saturday, but the storm should intensify Sunday.