Hurricane Beryl: The alert in the Texas coastal region
The U.S. National Hurricane Center (CNH) issued this Saturday, July 6, the alert in the Texas coastal region, for possible high winds and high tides as Tropical Storm Beryl approaches.
For South Texas, the Florida-based forecaster said strong winds are expected, accompanied by thunderstorms and torrential rains.
As the warning is issued for the Texas coastal region, Beryl is positioned about 385 miles (619.6 km) southeast of Corpus Christi in Texas, with maximum sustained winds of 60 miles per hour (96 km/h), the CNH said in an advisory.
The center of the storm will approach the Texas coast Sunday night and Beryl is expected to make landfall Monday, agency officials said.
Meanwhile, with the alert in the Texas coastal region, the U.S. Coast Guard warned of possible port closures in Texas, from Corpus Christi to Houston, because of Storm Beryl.
Businesses take precautions: The alert in the Texas coastal region
This measure could temporarily halt shipments of crude oil to refineries and motor fuels from those plants due to the alert in the Texas coastal region.
Shell completed the evacuation of workers from its Perdido production platform in the U.S.-regulated area of the Gulf of Mexico in the face of approaching Beryl, the company said Friday night.
It also evacuated employees from the Whale platform, which is scheduled to start production later this year.
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Gibson Energy, which operates a large oil terminal in Corpus Christi, said operations were continuing but would take further action based on forecasts due to the alert in the Texas coastal region.
Oil major Chevron Corp, one of the largest offshore oil producers in the United States, said on Friday that production at the assets it operates remained at normal levels. It also said it had evacuated nonessential personnel from some of its Gulf of Mexico facilities.
Offshore Gulf of Mexico production of about 1.8 million barrels per day accounts for about 14% of total US crude output, according to data from the US Energy Information Administration. Any impact on supply could drive up U.S. oil and offshore crude prices.
Beryl is the first hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic season and, at its peak earlier in the week, was the earliest Category 5 storm on record. A hurricane of that level brings winds of 251 km/h or higher, capable of causing catastrophic damage.
