Remnants From Tropical Storm Beryl Likely to Impact Michigan This Week
Although Michigan is about 1,300 miles from Texas, it is likely that we may see some effects from Hurricane Beryl around the middle of the week.
Beryl Makes Landfall in Texas
Hurricane Beryl was downgraded to a tropical storm a few hours after it made landfall around 3:50 AM today (Monday) on the Matagorda Peninsula, about 85 miles southwest of Houston. The Category 1 storm brought heavy rainfall and winds reaching 80 miles per hour to the Lonestar State.
Beryl is being recorded as the earliest Category 5 storm ever in the Atlantic and is responsible for at least 11 deaths and widespread destruction. More than two million customers have lost power in the Houston area so far.
Beryl's Expected Impact on Michigan
Beryl is expected to continue its path across the United States, likely dumping heavy rain in some areas Tuesday and Wednesday. As it reaches Michigan late Wednesday evening into early Thursday morning, there could be enough rain to cause flooding in the Great Lakes State.
Megan Varcie is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in White Lake Township. She says that it could bring a lot of wet weather to our area later this week.
"Hurricane Beryl obviously won’t be a hurricane by the time it reaches us," Varcie tells the Detroit Free Press. "But it will become a tropical depression and then transition in to more of just a low-pressure system and bring a lot of moisture into the area."
How Much Rain is Expected in Michigan?
While the exact amount of rain we should expect isn't perfectly clear at this point, Meteorologist Ahmad Bajjey with CBS Detroit says one to three inches of rainfall is a "solid bet" over the next few days.
However, Bajjey goes on to say that the remnants of Beryl will likely interact with a front that is expected to be stalled over Michigan mid-week. That interaction could cause a process known as "training" which means rain and thunderstorms could move over certain areas several times in a relatively short period. That process could potentially mean significantly more rain for some areas.
While anyone who is Beryl's path is urged to take precautions in preparation for heavy storms and rainfall, it is also advised that anyone outside the cone pictured above should be prepared as well, because its predicted path may change over the next couple of days.
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