Hurricane Beryl tracker: Death toll rises to 6 in Texas, over 2 million without power
Beryl is slamming Texas with powerful winds and torrential rain.
Tropical Storm Beryl is tearing across Texas after making landfall in the state as a Category 1 hurricane Monday morning.
At least six people have been killed by fallen trees or by drowning and more than 2 million customers are without power across Texas due to torrential rain and powerful winds.
Hurricane Beryl first killed at least seven people in the Windward Islands before skirting south of Jamaica, shutting down communications, stranding tourists and delivering storm surge and flooding rain to the island.
Latest headlines:
Beryl expected to move inland over Texas, Arkansas
As Beryl heads toward the Gulf Coast as a Category 1 hurricane, the storm is forecast to make landfall in the next few hours before turning northeastward.
The storm's expected to move farther inland over eastern Texas and Arkansas late Monday and Tuesday.
If Beryl makes landfall as a Category 1 storm, it would be the first landfalling hurricane in the lower 48 states since Hurricane Idalia made landfall on Keaton Beach, Florida, on Aug. 30 2023 as a Category 3 hurricane.
-ABC News’ Richard Von Ohlen
Winds increase to 80 mph
Hurricane Beryl’s top sustained winds increased to 80 mph, as the storm moved toward the Texas coast.
The Category 1 hurricane was about 30 miles south-southwest of Matagorda at about 1 a.m. local time. It was about 95 miles from Corpus Christi.
The storm was moving north-northwest at about 10 mph, with a turn toward the north expected this morning.
Beryl’s center is expected during the next several hours to make landfall on the middle Texas coast.
-ABC News’ Richard Von Ohlen
Rainbands move onto Texas coast
As Hurricane Beryl continued toward the Texas coast, radar indicated the heaviest rainbands along the eyewall have moved onto land.
The Category 1 hurricane had top sustained winds of about 75 mph just after midnight local time.
-ABC News’ Richard Von Ohlen
Beryl becomes a hurricane again as it heads toward Texas
Beryl has become a Category 1 hurricane as it heads toward Texas, the National Hurricane Center announced just after midnight ET on Monday.
Hurricane Beryl's maximum sustained winds have increased to 75 mph. The storm is expected to strengthen before it makes landfall on the Texas coast.
Currently, Beryl is about 65 miles from Matagorda, Texas and 105 miles from Corpus Christi.
Biden receiving updates, FEMA prepared to respond
President Joe Biden is receiving regular updates on Beryl as the storm rips across Texas, according to a White House official.
Senior White House officials are in close contact with their state and local counterparts and employees from the Federal Emergency Management Agency are standing by to offer support, the official said.
"The U.S. Coast Guard and FEMA have prepositioned response personnel including search and rescue teams, and FEMA has staged bottled water, meals, tarps and electric generators in case they are needed," the official said.