Beryl likely to impact area

As bands of rain begin to make their way through Liberty County on Sunday, the Texas Gulf Coast continues to brace for impact as Beryl moves toward land. 

The storm is set to make landfall early Monday morning as a category 1 Hurricane east of Matagorda Bay and will impact the area, especially portions of southeast Texas. 

Locally, residents can expect heavy rainfall and the possibility of winds up to 73 miles per hour at times. 

According to the US National Weather Service, those winds can potentially bring tornadoes.  

"In addition to the locally heavy rainfall, brief tornadoes will be possible within the rainbands beginning this afternoon with the potential to continue through Monday," reads a report from the weather service. 

The storm's center is expected to steer west of Houston, but Liberty County was added to the tropical storm warning on Sunday just outside of the area under a hurricane warning. 

Residents to the south in Chambers and Harris counties are under a storm surge warning with impacts 6 feet above ground level, likely impacting many who work in those coastal areas. 

Government offices and schools have announced closures across the county on Monday out of an abundance of caution ahead of the storm. 

The county and several cities have joined Texas in declaring a disaster ahead of the storms. 

For more information on storm prep, check out The Vindicator's 2024 Hurricane Preparedness Guide.   

For more information from the US National Weather Service, visit www.nhc.noaa.gov/. You can also sign up for local updates on Nixle, and as always, The Vindicator will continue to monitor the storm.  

Keep up with everything in Liberty County by subscribing to The Vindicator.