Hurricane Beryl Makes Third Landfall in Texas, a July Record

Hurricane Beryl made its third landfall along the Texas coast, becoming the 10th hurricane on record to hit the state in July.

This is the earliest Category 4 hurricane on record, stunning experts with its rapid strengthening since its development in late June. - Phil Klotzbach, research scientist at Colorado State University

On July 1, Beryl first made landfall in Grenada's Carriacou Island as a Category 4 hurricane, causing devastation across the southern Caribbean Islands, destroying hundreds of buildings, and killing at least six people. It later intensified into a Category 5 hurricane, the earliest on record.

Beryl's unprecedented strength is attributed to record-high ocean temperatures, and it is the first June major hurricane east of the Lesser Antilles. After crossing the Caribbean Sea, Beryl made a second landfall in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula before reaching Texas.

Texas Hurricanes Through History:

• This is only the 10th time Texas has been hit by a hurricane in July.
• The other nine hurricanes include four unnamed (1866, 1891, 1934, 1943), Velasco (1909), Debra (1959), Claudette (2003), Dolly (2008), and Hanna (2020).

An Active Hurricane Season Ahead:

Experts predict that oceans will likely transition fully into La Niña by fall, resulting in an "above-normal" hurricane season for Texas. La Niña, the counterpart to El Niño, is a climate phenomenon characterized by lower surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean near the equator.

This could bring warmer and drier weather to the southern US and potentially lead to a "hyperactive" hurricane season in the Atlantic basin, with forecasts of up to 33 named storms, far above the average of 14.

Beryl is a powerful reminder of the potential destructiveness of the 2024 hurricane season.