“Dangerous heat” is set to impact southeast Texas on Tuesday after Beryl has left over 2 million utility customers in the region without power, according to the National Weather Service.
A large chunk of the Texas coast, where Beryl made landfall Monday morning as a Category 1 hurricane, was under heat advisories Tuesday, including cities like Houston and Corpus Christi.
High temperatures coupled with no access to air conditioning could cause heat-related illnesses for some, the weather service field office in Houston said.
“With power out across much of Southeast Texas in the wake of Beryl, no air conditioning could make for dangerous conditions as temperatures warm into the lower 90s,” the service warned, adding that heat index values up to 106 degrees are possible. The heat index value is what the temperature feels like to the human body when mixed with humidity.
The service encouraged residents to stay hydrated and limit outdoor activities, which includes cleaning up damage left behind by Beryl.
As of 11 a.m. E.T. Tuesday, 2.25 million utility customers in Texas are without power, according to Poweroutage.US. Crews from CenterPoint Energy were out working to restore power to areas impacted by Beryl Tuesday, the utility company said on X.
In an update Monday, Acting Governor Dan Patrick said the power restoration effort will be a multi-day event, and that areas where vulnerable communities live, including senior citizen centers, will be prioritized.
“We’ll need a little bit of patience, and we’ll get there,” Patrick said.
Cities across the coast, including Houston, Galveston, La Porte, and Corpus Christi, have opened cooling centers to help residents escape the heat.
The Texas Department of Public Safety has activated a team to help those impacted by Beryl, according to a post on X.
“DPS will continue to deploy resources where needed to ensure Texans are taken care of following the storm,” the post read.
