Hurricane Beryl Shutters Texas Coastal Shipping Lanes

By Noi Mahoney of FreightWaves

Texas ports along the Gulf Coast closed operations and vessel traffic before Hurricane Beryl made landfall in southeast Texas at 4:30 a.m. Monday CDT as a Category 1 storm packing 94 mph winds, heavy rainfall and the potential for life-threatening storm surges.

Ports in Houston, Corpus Christi, Galveston, Freeport and Texas City were shuttered Sunday morning after the Coast Guard declared condition “Zulu,” according to Reuters.

Under port condition Zulu, all vessel movement and cargo operations are restricted.

“Due to the expected weather, all Port Houston facilities will be closed,” port officials said on X.

Sunday, July 7, 2024, 11:45 AM Weather Update:

Due to the expected weather, all Port Houston facilities will be closed on Monday, July 8, 2024. We continue to monitor the weather closely and will provide an update no later than 12 pm CT on Monday about Tuesday’s operations. pic.twitter.com/ZxPtLv0iP7

— Port Houston (@Port_Houston) July 7, 2024

They said they would provide an update by noon Monday about Tuesday operations.

Texas ports are major shipping hubs for crude oil, gasoline, liquefied natural gas, steel, automotive goods and chemicals, as well as a variety of consumer commodities.

R​ainfall totals in the Houston metro area over the past 24 hours range from 5 to 8 inches. Storm surges of 3 to 7 feet have been reported in parts of the middle and upper Texas coasts.

It’s unclear when the Coast Guard will lift condition Zulu and allow the ports to resume regular operations.

The storm has already caused power outages to more than 1 million homes and businesses in the Houston area, according to The Associated Press. Houston and other parts of southeast Texas have flood warnings in effect until Monday night.

Hurricane Beryl’s track shifted eastward over the past 48 hours, with the storm making landfall in the coastal town of Matagorda, about 95 miles south of Houston. The storm had been predicted to make landfall near or south of Corpus Christi and travel north through Laredo, San Antonio and Austin.

The storm’s path was expected to track through east Texas on Monday and then up toward Shreveport, Louisiana, and Arkansas into Tuesday.