Hurricane Beryl pummels Houston, Texas Gulf Coast with 100 mph winds, torrential rainfall

By Darren Lyn

HOUSTON, United States (AA) - Hurricane Beryl is wreaking havoc in the US state of Texas on Monday with devastating winds and torrential rainfall.

The Category 1 hurricane made landfall in Matagorda Bay on the Gulf Coast just south of Houston, with wind gusts of up to 100 miles per hour (160 kilometers per hour), causing massive wind damage along the coastline.

Between 5 to 10 inches of rain has already fallen, causing flash flooding and shutting down streets and highways.

Storm surges between 4 to 6 feet washed away vehicles and flooded homes along the Gulf Coast.

Beryl was downgraded to a tropical storm once making landfall, but is pummeling everything within its path as it tracks directly through the Houston area, which is the state's most populous region with 6.8 million people.

Winds gusts of up to 84 mph (135 kph) knocked down trees and power lines, leaving nearly two million homes without electricity.

At least one man was killed when a tree fell on top of his house.

Emergency officials urged all residents to hunker down in their homes until the storm passed because of the dangerous conditions and warned residents to treat the storm "as though there was a tornado coming your way."

"The winds from the hurricane are so strong, stronger really than we expected," said Judge Lina Hidalgo, the county's top executive. "We need you to shelter away from windows, in safe areas of your home."

Weather forecasters are predicting sustained heavy winds throughout the area for much of the day in addition to continued rainfall, flooding and storm surges along the coastal regions.

Nearly 1,000 flights have either been canceled or delayed at Houston's two international airports.

Beryl is tracking toward the Eastern United States and is expected to affect much of the Eastern United States, with heavy rain and flooding predicted as far north as Michigan and New England, according to weather forecasters.