Beryl — 2024

Beryl developed from a tropical wave off West Africa and became a tropical depression on 28 June 2024 about 1,200 nautical miles east of Barbados. It strengthened to a tropical storm within 12 hours, became a hurricane by 30 June, and underwent rapid intensification and eyewall changes while moving west‑northwest across the eastern and central Caribbean. After peaking, it moved westward through the central Caribbean, crossed the Yucatan Peninsula, entered the Gulf of Mexico, and then turned north to make a final U.S. landfall before weakening and becoming extratropical on 9 July as it moved into the central United States and Great Lakes region. Beryl made multiple landfalls. The first recorded landfall was on 1 July at 1520 UTC on Carriacou Island (Grenada) with estimated sustained winds of 120 kt (category 4). It made landfall on the Yucatán Peninsula just northeast of Tulum at 1100 UTC on 5 July with estimated winds of 80 kt (category 1). The storm’s final major landfall was near Matagorda Bay, Texas at 0840 UTC on 8 July with estimated winds of 80 kt (category 1). Beryl reached a peak intensity of 145 kt (one‑minute sustained) with a minimum central pressure near 932 mb on 2 July, classifying it as a category 5 hurricane at peak. The NHC judged the peak largely from aircraft and dropsonde data, despite some uncertainty from gaps in observations. Storm surge along the Texas coast produced documented inundation of about 5–7 ft above ground level (AGL) from Matagorda to Freeport; the highest surveyed still‑water marks near the immediate coast converted to roughly 5.0–6.1 ft above Mean Higher High Water (MHHW), with localized evidence including a surveyed high‑water mark near Sargent that converted to about 8.9 ft MHHW (wave effects contributed there). Galveston Bay recorded peak water levels of about 5.5 ft above MHHW at the bay entrance, and other tide stations recorded 3–5 ft MHHW in the upper bay and adjacent coast. Rainfall totals were highest in parts of southeastern Texas (Houston area) with many reports of 8–12 inches and maxima of 14.99 inches (Thompsons) and 14.88 inches (Harris County station). In the Caribbean, Carriacou (Lauriston) reported 10.31 inches, Jamaica reported up to 13.62 inches at Knockpatrick, and Cozumel, Mexico reported 6.71 inches. Beryl caused significant loss of life and damage. The report attributes at least 69 total deaths with 35 classified as direct (winds, rain, and tornadoes) and 34 indirect deaths (all in the United States). Direct deaths by country include Grenada (3), St. Vincent and the Grenadines (8), Venezuela (6), Jamaica (4), and the United States (14). In the Caribbean, Carriacou and several Grenadine islands experienced catastrophic damage (reports of roughly 99% of buildings on Carriacou damaged or destroyed and severe losses on other small islands). The United States sustained major impacts in Texas with over $7 billion in property damage estimated nationally; reports indicate widespread power outages (nearly 3 million customers, ~2.7 million in southeastern Texas), hundreds of buildings destroyed or damaged in Texas counties near the landfall area, and numerous tornadoes and freshwater‑flooding deaths inland. Beryl also produced 65 confirmed tornadoes in the U.S., including one EF‑3 and several long‑track or wide tornadoes. Notable points: Beryl became the earliest category 5 hurricane on record in the Atlantic basin and set or approached several early‑season records (earliest category 4 and 5, strongest June/July winds before August, very low central pressure for so early in the season). Forecast track performance was better than recent averages, though some early biases in landfall position occurred; intensity forecasts struggled at times because of rapid intensification and weakening cycles, but the final Gulf re‑intensification before Texas landfall was anticipated by guidance and the NHC forecasts for landfall intensity generally verified.