Tropical Storm Beryl is expected to regain hurricane force as it nears the exas coast — bringing dangerous winds, up to 15 inches of rain and flooding that could reach five feet, the National Weather Service warned.
The deadly storm was churning west-northwest across the Gulf of Mexico Sunday and is forecast to make landfall by late Sunday or early Monday, according to the the NWS' National Hurricane Center.
It's expected to be a Category 1 hurricane when it hits, Jack Beven, a senior hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, told the Associated Press.
A hurricane watch is in effect from the mouth of the Rio Grande northward to the San Luis Pass near Houston, and a storm-surge watch is in effect another 60 miles north to High Island.
Flooding could reach five feet in some coastal areas if the peak surge coincides with high tide.
"The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to the right of the center, where the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves," the center said Saturday.
Heavy rainfall of five to 10 inches is forecast across parts of the coast starting late Sunday through midweek, with up to 15 inches expected in some areas.
"This rainfall is likely to produce areas of flash and urban flooding, some of which may be locally considerable in nature," the center said.
Officials in coastal Corpus Christi tried to help residents prepare by distributing 14,000 sandbags on Wednesday, when demand canceled plans to continue the effort on Thursday, local TV station KRIS reported.
On Friday, desperate homeowners formed a nearly two-mile line to grab another 10,000 sandbags that were given away within an hour.
Also Friday, acting Texas Gov. Dan Patrick issued preemptive proclamations declaring a disaster in more than 40 counties based on the potential threats.
Patrick is filling in for Gov. Greg Abbott while he's on an economic development mission to Taiwan, South Korea and Japan.
Beryl became the earliest storm to develop into a Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic when it passed through the Caribbean earlier this week, killing at least 11 people in Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Jamaica and Venezuela, according to the Associated Press.
It weakened to Category 2 before hitting Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and weakened further to a tropical storm before moving into the Gulf of Mexico, where warm waters are expected to help it regain hurricane strength.
