Storm Beryl kills three, knocks out power for 2.7 million in Texas

Tropical Storm Beryl approaches the Texas coast in the Gulf of Mexico in a composite satellite image July 7, 2024. NOAA/Handout via REUTERS

(Reuters) -Tropical Storm Beryl brought howling winds and torrential rain to southeast Texas on Monday, killing at least three people, flooding highways, closing oil ports, canceling more than 1,300 flights and knocking out power to more than 2.7 million homes and businesses.

Beryl, the season's earliest Category 5 hurricane on record, weakened from a hurricane after pounding the coastal Texas town of Matagorda with dangerous storm surges and heavy rain before moving across Houston, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. The agency said conditions could spawn tornadoes in Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas.