Oppressive heat and prolonged power outages threaten recovery efforts in Texas after Hurricane Beryl.
Widespread power outages in the wake of Hurricane Beryl pose a new threat as temperatures soar in Texas this week. Beryl tore through the Lone Star State yesterday, killing at least six people and knocking out electricity for around 2.
7 million customers. Power was still out for more than 2.2 million on Tuesday morning. The blackouts could last days to weeks, authorities say, leaving people without air conditioning as the heat index reaches triple digits. “The lack of proper cooling combined with many people outdoors cleaning up after Beryl could produce dangerous heat conditions,” the National Weather Service said this morning. '“The lack of proper cooling combined with many people outdoors cleaning up after Beryl could produce dangerous heat conditions.”' Power outages are concentrated along southeast Texas, where the heat index is forecast to reach upwards of 105 degrees Fahrenheit. While that’s typically not considered risky enough for a heat advisory in the region, the lack of AC after a big storm is a game changer. It could take “a few days” to get the power back on, Public Utility Commission of Texas chairman Thomas Gleeson said in a press conference yesterday. Parts of hard-hit Galveston could be without electricity for as long as two weeks. Power outages in the US have grown longer than they were a decade ago — mostly because of “major events” like hurricanes and winter storms, according to the US Energy Information Administration. When more extreme weather triggers blackouts, it raises the risk of heat-related illness and death. Rising global temperatures, the result of greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels, make for more frequent and intense heatwaves. Higher temperatures also supercharge storms, which gather strength from heat energy at the sea surface. Hurricane Beryl smashed records, fueled by soaring sea temperatures. It’s the strongest tropical storm on record to develop in the Atlantic this early in the hurricane season. It grew to a monstrous Category 5 storm by July 2nd, wreaking havoc across the Caribbean and Mexico before weakening into a Category 1 storm and slamming into Texas. Despite lower sustained wind speeds, Beryl brought more than 10 inches of rain along parts of the Texas Gulf Coast and a storm surge of up to six feet. Beryl has been a foreboding omen for what’s forecast to be a very bad Atlantic hurricane season this year. The storm has weakened but will continue to be “a prolific heavy rain producer” as it moves northeast this week, according to the NWS. Oppressive heat is also bearing down across much of the US this week, with close to half the country’s population — nearly 160 million people — under heat alerts today. Heat kills more people in the US each year than floods and hurricanes, even though those deaths can be prevented if people have a safe place to cool down. Heat deaths can also spike after storms trigger power outages, which happened in Louisiana after Hurricane Ida in 2021. More people died in New Orleans from the heat that followed Ida than the storm itself. When several catastrophes collide, as we’re seeing now in Texas, scientists call it a “compound event” that’s becoming more common with climate change. It’s a disaster pileup that strains resources and makes it even harder to respond and recover because everything is happening in close succession or all at once.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Tropical Storm Beryl forms in Atlantic Ocean, likely to become Hurricane Beryl: NHCTropical Storm Beryl has formed in the Atlantic Ocean east of the Windward Islands and is expected to strengthen into Hurricane Beryl over the next few days, the National Hurricane Center said.
Read more »
Hurricane Beryl nears Jamaica as major hurricane; Texas watching track closelySAN ANTONIO - Hurricane Beryl continues to bulldoze across the Caribbean as a powerful hurricane but through today, the core of the worst weather has stayed wel
Read more »
WATCH: Hurricane Hunters record Hurricane Beryl's dangerous eyewall before Jamaica landfallHere is a look inside dangerous Hurricane Beryl
Read more »
Hurricane Beryl makes landfall on Texas coast as a Category 1 hurricaneBeryl made landfall on the Texas coast near Matagorda early Monday with a dangerous storm surge and strong winds, the National Weather Service reported.
Read more »
How does a hurricane get the name Beryl?Before Hurricane Beryl roared toward Texas, the name Beryl was not on most people's radar.
Read more »
Hurricane Beryl: From bayous reaching their banks to flying bricks, Beryl brings chaos to Space CityBraes Bayou was one of the city's bayous that came out of its banks to make driving impossible for a few hours on North Braeswood.
Read more »