Much of the Texas coastline was under hurricane warning, with landfall expected early Monday.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Editor’s Note: The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Coastal Texans are bracing for Beryl, which is expected to strengthen into a hurricane by the time it makes landfall, including a National Weather Service meteorologist whose front door is going viral online.
Tyler Castillo, chief meteorologist for NWS Corpus Christi, posted a video of his front door on X, which garnered millions of views in less than 24 hours.
“Can’t be too careful. Gotta make sure the house is secure before #Beryl arrives,” Castillo said in the post.
A large majority of the reactions on social media compared the security of his front door to what is seen in the Purge film series. Castillo even addressed this topic in two follow-up tweets explaining his installation.
“Two things I learned from this tweet: 1) People love the purge, 2) People assume that if the power goes out, there’s absolutely no way to open the door. I’m stuck inside (or outside) forever,” Castillo said.
“I think it’s time to answer a few questions here: 1) Is there a manual option to open it 2) The back door is always open. The front would catch the wind 3) I’m not sure about the money. They were offered on the house when I bought it. A big selling point for me. 4) I’ve never seen The Purge,” Castillo added.
Much of the Texas coastline is under hurricane warning, with the storm expected to make landfall early Monday. Authorities in several coastal counties have urged tourists who were along beaches for the July 4 holiday to leave.
Beryl would be the 10th hurricane to hit Texas in July since 1851 and the fourth in the past 25 years, according to Phil Klotzbach, a hurricane researcher at Colorado State University.
Texas officials warned residents along the coast to prepare for possible flooding, heavy rain and strong winds. The hurricane warning extends from Baffin Bay, south of Corpus Christi, to Sargent, south of Houston.
In Corpus Christi, officials urged visitors to shorten their stay and return home as early as possible. Residents were urged to secure their homes by boarding up windows if necessary and using sandbags to protect against possible flooding.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who is acting for Gov. Greg Abbott while he travels to Taiwan, issued a precautionary disaster declaration for 121 counties.
