Beryl becomes a hurricane again as it approaches Texas

Beryl reverted to a hurricane as it approached the central Texas coastline Monday morning, prompting state officials to issue warnings to residents about the .

Beryl is now a Category 1 hurricane and is expected to make landfall “within the next hour or two,” the National Hurricane Center said in its 4 a.m. ET update.

Beryl was located 15 miles (24 kilometers) southeast of Matagorda, Texas, and 100 miles (160 kilometers) east-northeast of Corpus Christi with sustained winds of up to 80 mph (130 kilometers per hour), the hurricane center said.

A "life-threatening storm surge and heavy rainfall is ongoing across portions of Texas," the hurricane center said in its update. "Sustained tropical-storm-force winds and hurricane-force wind gust have already been reported along the coast, these winds will continue to spread inland."

With Beryl’s new strength, the NHC has issued a series of advisories for the area stretching from Galveston to Mesquite Bay to Corpus Christi. Storm surges could raise water levels in those regions by 3 to 7 feet. Rainfall is expected to range from 5 to 15 inches.

“As Hurricane Beryl approaches the Texas coast, it is time for Texas residents to make final preparations to protect themselves and their property,” Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said Sunday. “121 counties have already been declared state disasters, and more may be added as conditions warrant.”

Patrick said more than 2,500 emergency responders have been deployed to the state, from departments including FEMA, parks and wildlife, health services and transportation.

From Texas, Beryl is expected to move inland through Arkansas on Tuesday.

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