Beryl moves inland over south Texas - expected to bring heavy rain to Ontario & Quebec

Radar image of hurricane beryl making landfall along the Texas coast in the pre-dawn hours Monday, July 8. (NOAA)

Early Monday morning a strengthening hurricane Beryl moved inland near Matagorda Bay on the central Texas coast. As of 7am. the hurricane was located 40 kilomteres southwest of Houston, moving north at 19km/h, with 120km/h winds. Beryl had been meandering in the Gulf of Mexico, a weakened storm after hitting the Yucatan region on Friday. Beryl was a category 5 hurricane as it struck parts of the Windward Islands.

As Beryl made landfall in Texas, a storm surge of 3-7 feet occurred along the coast near and to the right of the center. Winds gusted as high as 150km/h, producing widespread power outages along the central and upper Texas coast. Heavy rain is forecast to spread inland today, affecting the flood-prone Houston metropolitan region. In excess of 200mm of rain is possible at many locations. The heavy rain will spread north into Arkansas and Oklahoma as the day wears on. Tornadoes are possible as well across east Texas and Arkansas.

By Thursday morning, the remains of hurricane Beryl will be moving into southern Ontario. Very heavy rain, up to 100mm, is expected to fall along a narrow swath. That swath may line up along the St. Lawrence Valley and impact Montreal. The path will need to be watched closely. (NHC)

As Beryl is downgraded to a tropical storm later today and eventually a depression by tonight, the remains will move northeast into the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes. Beryl will become a big rainmaker as the circulation interacts with a warm front draped across northern New England.

The airmass is tropical in nature already, with elevated humidity levels. Some locations in southern Quebec and Ontario have already had considerable rainfall over the last week or so from thunderstorms. The ground is saturated in many locations, especially across the Eastern Townships and New England.

Very heavy rain is expected to develop Wednesday along with embedded thunderstorms. The atmosphere will be tropical in nature. At this time, most computer models have the heaviest rain falling over New England, but it will be dependant on where the warm front sets up. Some locations may recieve as much as 100mm (4 inches) of rain from Beryl.

Outside of Beryl, southern Quebec and Montreal can expect a warm and humid week, with scattered showers and thunderstorms.