‘Deadly Storm’ Warning: Hurricane Beryl Strengthens Near Houston, Ports Closed, Flights Cancelled

(Reuters) – Hurricane Beryl strengthened as it neared the Texas coast on Sunday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said, shutting down major oil ports, canceling flights and warning that it would be a deadly storm for affected communities.

Beryl, the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record, slammed into Jamaica, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines last week, toppling buildings and power lines and killing at least 11 people.

The storm weakened after its deadly and destructive passage through the Caribbean, but strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane as it moved through the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

By the time it makes landfall near Houston on Monday, it could be a Category 2 storm.

“Additional strengthening is expected prior to landfall on the Texas coast,” the NHC said in its latest advisory.

Acting Gov. Patrick declared 120 counties disaster areas Sunday ahead of the storm and warned that Beryl “will be a deadly storm for people who are directly in its path.”

Schools, including the state’s largest in Houston, announced they would close as the storm approached. Airlines canceled hundreds of flights and authorities ordered several evacuations in coastal cities.

The closure of major oil shipping ports around Corpus Christi, Galveston and Houston ahead of the storm could disrupt crude oil exports, crude shipments to refineries and automotive fuel from factories.

Most of the northern Gulf’s offshore oil and gas production lies east of Beryl’s expected trajectory.

Some oil producers, including Shell and Chevron, had evacuated personnel from their offshore production platforms in the Gulf of Mexico before the storm.

Citgo Petroleum Corp said it plans to keep its Corpus Christi refinery running at minimal production as the storm moves toward the coast.

Gibson Energy, which operates a large oil terminal in Corpus Christi, said operations were continuing but it would take further action based on forecasts.

(Reporting by Tyler Clifford and Brad Heath; additional reporting by Ashitha Shivaprasad; editing by Donna Bryson, Lisa Shumaker, Chizu Nomiyama, Bill Berkrot and Michael Perry)