Beryl is now a tropical storm, expected to exit the Yucatan Peninsula later tonight where it will emerge back over open waters and take aim at the Texan coastline Sunday night.

As of 1 p.m. CDT, Hurricane Beryl was located near 20.8 N and 88.8 W, or about 65 miles east-southeast of Progreso, Mexico and 650 miles east-southeast of Brownsville, Texas. Containing maximum sustained winds of 70 mph, Beryl is currently a tropical storm, moving west-northwest at 15 mph with a minimum central pressure of 986 mb, or 29.12 inches of mercury. Tropical storm-force sustained winds extend up to 105 miles outward.

Now, only a Tropical Storm Warning exists, currently in effect along the northern Yucatan coastline from Cancun to Campeche. A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions (sustained winds between 39 and 73 mph) are expected within 36 hours.

Once Beryl passes over the Yucatan Peninsula, it will likely track towards the northwest over the weekend. Its path over land will cause it to weaken, likely to a tropical storm, although its re-emergence in the Gulf of Mexico will allow for a brief period of strengthening. Ultimately, Beryl is likely to come ashore across far northeastern Mexico or far southern Texas late Sunday or early Monday. However, it would be wise to not focus only on the center, as strong winds and heavy rainfall will likely occur well to the north into the Lone Star State. Anyone with interests in the Texas Gulf Coast should pay close attention to the forecast in the coming days.

Along the Texas coastline, storm surge of 1 to 3 feet is likely Sunday afternoon through Monday afternoon, with locally higher surge of 3 to 5 feet possible. Heavy rain will also be a concern across southern and eastern Texas, with widespread rainfall of 4 to 8 inches and locally higher amounts possible late Sunday through Tuesday.

Already, the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season is breaking records. By reaching the top of the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, Beryl became the earliest-forming Category 4 and Category 5 hurricane on record, beating 2005's Hurricane Dennis by a week. Beryl was also the first storm before September 1 to strengthen from tropical depression to major hurricane in less than 48 hours as well as the longest lasting hurricane at Category 3 or higher in the Atlantic Basin before August.

To the other side of Mexico, the Pacific Basin spawned its first named storm on Thursday, now Tropical Depression Aletta. It has a chance of threatenining Baja California with heavy winds, storm surge, and heavy rainfall next week, but it is not expected to cause any major issues for now.

With the tropical season heating up, it should be taken as an indication that it’s time to prepare. Start organizing portable phone chargers, a radio, batteries, non-perishable food, water and blankets into an evacuation kit now. While fair weather is in your area, take the opportunity to scout out multiple evacuation routes from your area, in case your preferred route is traffic-jammed or blocked.

Beryl Makes Landfall On The Yucatan Peninsula