A hurricane watch has been issued for part of Texas.
Beryl is currently gaining strength in the Gulf of Mexico’s warm waters as the Texas coast prepares for the storm’s landfall late Sunday. A hurricane watch is in effect for the Texas coast from the mouth of the Rio Grande northward to San Luis Pass, with tropical storm conditions beginning Sunday night, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The storm has left at least 11 people dead across the Caribbean islands, according to The Associated Press.
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick—who is acting Texas Governor while Greg Abbott is out of the country leading an economic development mission in Asia—issued a severe weather disaster declaration for 40 counties in the state.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]“Everyone along the coast should be paying attention to this storm.” Patrick said in a press briefing on Friday “We hope and pray for nothing more than a rain event…but we prepare the state for the worst case scenario”
The storm passed through the Cayman Islands on Thursday, and the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico on Friday.
Read More: See the Destructive Impact of Hurricane Beryl in Photos
It made landfall Friday morning in Tulum as a Category 2 hurricane, downing trees and poles. Beryl lost considerable strength over the Yucatán Peninsula, and was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm unloading heavy rain and gusty winds. According to the National Hurricane Center, the storm will likely re-strengthen into a hurricane as it moves into the Gulf of Mexico.
On Wednesday, the storm pummeled the Southern coast of Jamaica, where it left thousands of people without electricity. The city of Kingston recorded wind speeds of nearly 50 m.p.h. for 12 hours straight between 1 p.m. local time on Wednesday and 1 a.m. local time on Thursday.
Beryl set records when it developed into a Category 5 hurricane earlier in the week. Its high wind speeds are indicative of an exceptionally aggressive start to the Atlantic hurricane season this year, which usually peaks between the months of August and October.
Read More: Why Beryl’s ‘Unprecedented’ Timing Is a Sign of Climate Change’s Impact on Extreme Weather
The hurricane has caused devastation while plowing through the Caribbean. “In half an hour, Carriacou was flattened,” Grenadian Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell said on Monday, as Beryl sustained winds of 150 m.p.h. Mitchell visited Carriacou and Petite Martinique in the aftermath of the hurricane’s “total” destruction, which has damaged or destroyed an estimated 98% of the Carriacou’s buildings, including its main health facility and airport.