Orange under flash flood watch as Beryl nears Texas coast

Published 7:52 pm Sunday, July 7, 2024

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As of 7:30 p.m. Sunday, parts of Orange County are under a flash flood watch associated with the impacts of Tropical Storm Beryl.

According to the National Weather Service at Lake Charles, Louisiana, Tropical Storm Beryl continues to organize over the Southwest Gulf of Mexico and is expected to become a Category 1 hurricane by early Monday, before it makes landfall. The storm is expected to make landfall near the Matagorda Peninsula along the Texas coast early Monday morning. A storm surge warning is in effect for southeast Texas, with the potential for minor flooding of low-lying coastal areas. The remnants of Tropical Storm Beryl will produce periods of heavy rainfall with a slight risk for tornadoes and damaging thunderstorms.

For the local area, the main impacts will be coastal flooding across Jefferson County and Cameron parish, as well as heavy rainfall across Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana. Rainfall and impacts will continue through Tuesday.

Orange County Orange County could see storm surge of 1 to 2 feet, according to the Service.

“Storm surge could produce minor coastal flooding along Sabine Lake,” the briefing from the Service states.

In addition to storm surge, the county could see 2 to 4 inches of rain with up to 8 inches possible.

Wind speeds between 20 and 25 mph are expected with gusts up to 35 mph. The county also is under a slight risk, 5 to 10% chance, of tornadoes, the Service states.

The City of Orange Emergency Management Department will continue to monitor the forecast track of Beryl and will provide updates as they become available.