Photos: Hurricane Beryl flips semi-trucks, knocks out power after Texas landfall
Beryl knocked over trees and caused more than 2 million power outages on Monday after making landfall on the Texas Gulf Coast. First responders in the Houston metro area are reporting down powerlines, trees and flooding.
Daylight shows scope of destruction after Hurricane Beryl makes landfall in Texas
FOX Weather Meteorologist Britta Merwin shows the scope of destruction left behind in Surfside Beach, Texas, after Hurricane Beryl made landfall on Monday, July 8, 2024, near Matagorda. The video shows an RV that was rolled over onto its side, and debris covering roads in the area.
SURFSIDE BEACH, Texas – Monday's sunrise revealed widespread damage on the Texas Gulf Coast Monday hours after Hurricane Beryl made landfall, sending storm surge into coastal communities and knocking out power to more than 2 million people.
Hurricane Beryl made landfall near the city of Matagorda in Texas early Monday morning as a Category 1 hurricane. The historic storm has already claimed at least 10 lives across the Caribbean islands and two in Texas as of Monday.
FOX Weather Meteorologist Britta Merwin was in Surfside Beach throughout Sunday night. The area saw storm surge between 3 and 7 feet.
On the other side of the bridge heading inland, the FOX Weather crew reported several 18-wheeler tractor-trailers flipped over. In Freeport, one tractor-trailer was flipped on its side next to a Buc-ee's.
This image shows an RV on its side and debris in the road in Surfside Beach, Texas, after Hurricane Beryl made landfall on Monday, July 8, 2024. (FOX Weather)
Within 20 minutes of the beach, most hotels and buildings suffered roof damage, and the power was out. On Monday, a wind gust of 94 mph was recorded in Freeport as Beryl moved inland toward Houston.
While most people heard warnings from emergency managers and stayed home, some went out of their way to witness Beryl's intensity on the coastline.
A group of people hide behind a car to shield themselves from wind and rain from Hurricane Beryl as they film videos for social media Monday, July 8, 2024, in Bay City. (Jon Shapley/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images) (Getty Images)
Houston Chronicle photographers spoke to a group from Las Vegas who traveled to Bay City to experience the hurricane. The group soon found themselves looking for shelter while facing 90 mph winds and piercing rain.
About an hour from Matagorda, where Beryl made landfall, Rosenberg police faced rising floodwaters early Monday. The police department said several streets in the area were flooded and filled with debris.
Hurricane Beryl strikes Rosenberg, Texas (Rosenberg (Texas) Police)
By mid-morning on Monday, the greater Houston area saw widespread damage from Beryl's winds and 10 inches of rain. More than 900,000 of the more than 2.3 million Texas power outages were reported in Harris County, according to emergency managers.
Buffalo Bayou floods near Downtown Houston just after Hurricane Beryl made landfall on Monday, July 8, 2024 in Houston. (Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images) (Getty Images)
"We’re going to have to start thinking about this power situation," said Jeff Lindner, a Harris County Flood District meteorologist. "We’re going to be looking at days to weeks for full restoration. This isn’t going to be hours."
HURRICANE BERYL MAKES LANDFALL IN TEXAS, CARRYING 90 MPH GUSTS AND LIFE-THREATENING STORM SURGE
Trees were down in League City, a suburb of Houston, causing damage. The city shared these images of trees and debris covering roads.
Hurricane Beryl wind damage in League City, Texas on July 8, 2024. (League City)
At least two people were killed in Harris County after Beryl's winds knocked over trees in the area.
One of those deaths was reported in Spring, Texas, outside of Houston, when a tree fell on a 74-year-old woman's home, according to the Spring Fire Department.
Damage to a home in Spring, Texas on July 8, 2024 from Hurricane Beryl. (Spring Fire Department)
Officials across South and East Texas are asking people to stay home and off the roads while Beryl moves northeast across the Lone Star State.
As Beryl continues northward, its impacts will be felt as far north as Michigan later this week. The National Hurricane Center's current forecast cone shows the storm will weaken as it moves north but maintain tropical depression strength from Arkansas through Michigan throughout the week.