Hurricane Beryl latest: One man confirmed dead after oak tree fell onto his home
By Rachel Bowman for Dailymail.Com
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Hurricane Beryl made landfall in Texas and battered the Gulf Coast, killing at least one person and knocking out power to more than 1 million people as the storm moved inland.
The storm made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane near Matagorda Beach around 4 a.m., the National Hurricane Center confirmed, bringing heavy rains, storm surge and gusty winds to the state.
Meteorologists say there is still a risk of life-threatening storm surge flooding along the coast, with damaging hurricane-force winds and significant flash flooding and urban flooding as Beryl moves inland through the Lower Mississippi Valley.
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One dead as Hurricane Beryl batters Texas
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez confirmed that at least one man has died after a tree fell on his home.
The 53-year-old man is believed to have been riding out the storm with his family at their home in Kings River Village in Humble.
An oak tree fell on the roof and hit the rafters. The tree fell on the man, trapping him under the rubble.
His wife and children were unharmed.
Hurricane Beryl struck Texas as a Category 1 hurricane, but is expected to weaken to a tropical storm as it moves across the United States.
So what’s the difference between a hurricane and a tropical storm? Here’s a look at some common weather terms and their definitions, according to the National Weather Service.
Hurricane or typhoon – A tropical cyclone with a warm core in which the minimum sustained surface wind is 74 mph or greater. Hurricanes form in the North Atlantic Ocean and the central and eastern North Pacific Ocean. Typhoons develop in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. They are known as cyclones in the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean.
Tropical storm – A warm-core tropical cyclone with maximum sustained surface wind speeds ranging from 39 to 73 mph (34 to 63 knots).
Cyclone – A storm with strong winds rotating around a moving center of low atmospheric pressure. The word is sometimes used in the United States to mean tornado and in the Indian Ocean region to mean a tropical cyclone, such as a hurricane.
Storm surge – An abnormal rise in water level above the normal tide, caused by a storm.
Tropical depression – A tropical cyclone in which the maximum sustained wind speed at the Earth’s surface is 38 mph (33 knots) or less.
Tsunami – A large sea wave or seismic sea wave caused by an underwater disturbance such as an earthquake, landslide, or volcano.
Video shows powerful Hurricane Beryl making landfall in Lone Star State
Beryl made landfall near the coastal town of Matagorda, Texas, on Monday morning, packing winds of up to 80 mph (130 kph).
Video footage shows a driver driving through pouring rain as gusts of wind shake traffic lights and blow water droplets off ponds.
Texas residents prepared for the deadly storm by sealing their homes, securing boats and packing sandbags.
Thousands of flights canceled or delayed to and from Texas airports
More than 1,300 flights were cancelled and another 1,000 delayed in the United States on Monday morning, most of them in Texas, as Hurricane Beryl wreaks havoc on travel.
Most of the affected flights originated from or were destined for George Bush Intercontinental Airport and William P. Hobby Airport in Houston, according to Flight aware.
Flights from Dallas-Fort Worth International and Dallas Love Field were also affected by the chaos.
American Airlines said CBS News that operations at Houston’s airports will be suspended until approximately 3 p.m. ET on Monday.
“We will evaluate conditions tomorrow to determine if it is safe to resume operations in the afternoon/evening,” American said.
New tracker map shows path of deadly storm after landfall in Texas
A new forecast map from the National Weather Service shows Hurricane Beryl barreling across Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas.
In Freeport, Texas, wind gusts reached 94 mph (151 km/h), and Galveston Bay recorded sustained winds of 73 mph (117 km/h) and a gust of 82 mph (132 km/h) as of 8 a.m. Monday.
The new forecast is for Beryl to move north over the next 12 years via a subtropical ridge breach, with the center moving through eastern Texas.
The cyclone is then expected to turn northeastward, increasing forward speed as the cyclone accelerates across the Lower Mississippi Valley and into the Ohio Valley.
Welcome to DailyMail.com’s live coverage of Hurricane Beryl
DailyMail.com will provide live updates on the movements of Hurricane Beryl in Texas and along the Gulf Coast as it moves inland.
Beryl, the first to develop into a Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic, has already torn a deadly and destructive path through parts of Mexico and the Caribbean, killing at least 11 people and leveling entire islands.
The deadly storm officially made landfall in the United States around 4 a.m. Monday as a Category 1 hurricane, bringing heavy rain, storm surge and gusty winds to Texas.
Follow our coverage and stay up to date with the latest storm news.
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