Hurricane Beryl was nearly a Category 2 storm at landfall in SE Texas, according to new report

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Wednesday, January 29, 2025
Hurricane Beryl was stronger at landfall in SE Texas than reported
National Hurricane Center forecasters found enough evidence to make Beryl nearly a Category 2 storm when it made landfall in southeast Texas.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- We all knew Hurricane Beryl was strong, but now there's new information showing just how intense the storm was.

After each hurricane season, the National Hurricane Center debriefs all the storms from the previous season. In their reanalysis of Beryl, forecasters found enough evidence to make it nearly a Category 2 storm at landfall in southeast Texas.

Houston Chronicle Meteorologist Justin Ballard joined ABC13's Elyse Smith to discuss their latest findings. You can watch the full interview in the video player above.

How strong were the winds?

The NHC found higher winds at Beryl's landfall.

The initial landfall report indicated peak winds of 80 mph. According to the new report, Beryl's top winds were 92 mph, just 3 mph shy of being a Category 2 hurricane.

RELATED: Hurricane Beryl's unprecedented nature explained, and what's next for the record hurricane

Beryl is the first major hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season and broke records as it reached category 4 hurricane strength over the weekend.

Why did Beryl intensify?

Ballard spoke to National Weather Service meteorologist Tim Cady for insight into what contributed to Beryl's strengthening. "We've seen in past storms that there can be a bit of intensification post-landfall if conditions remain favorable," Cady told Ballard, referring to the phenomenon as the "Brown Ocean Effect."

"Where Beryl made landfall - really marshy, soils are very saturated - that can help to almost feed the hurricane and intensify it a little bit," Ballard said.

According to the report, in combination with favorable wind patterns, Beryl gained more than 20 mph of intensity before it made landfall.

Why did it take Beryl a long time to wind down?

Beryl stayed very strong as it moved into Houston. Though it moved quickly, once it made landfall, it was still a Category 1 hurricane for several hours.

"When it started speeding up, it just takes a little while for those wind speed to spin down," Ballard explained. "On top of that, it started intensifying about six hours or so before landfall. Had it started intensifying sooner, we could have probably been dealing with a category higher or more."

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