Millions Suffer in Heat After Tropical Storm Beryl

Millions in southeast Texas faced extreme heat without air conditioning due to power outages caused by Tropical Storm Beryl. Over 2.3 million homes and businesses lost electricity as Beryl brought deadly conditions, including high temperatures over 100°F, lethal storms, and widespread flooding, impacting multiple regions.

Millions of Americans in southeast Texas were grappling with brutally hot conditions on Tuesday, made worse by a lack of air conditioning after Tropical Storm Beryl left a significant portion of the region without power. Poweroutage.us reported that 2.3 million homes and businesses were without electricity, while temperatures were predicted to soar past 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 C) during the day, according to the National Weather Service.

"Without power across much of Southeast Texas in the wake of Beryl, no air conditioning could make for dangerous conditions," the service warned in its forecast for the area, where temperatures were expected to hit 105 F (40 C). Tropical Storm Beryl crashed into Texas on Monday, causing three fatalities, flooding highways, damaging homes, and bringing down power lines.

The storm, which was anticipated to weaken quickly once inland, had already cut a devastating path through Jamaica, Grenada, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines last week, resulting in 11 deaths before reaching Texas. Houston resident Raymond Miller, 46, has been without power since 6 a.m. Monday, leaving food in his refrigerator to spoil and his dog struggling in the heat. "It was hot, I had trouble sleeping and the humidity makes it very hard to breath in my apartment," Miller said. He plans to spend Tuesday in his air-conditioned vehicle, which has only a quarter tank of gas left. "There is no gas available. Everyone is out of gas," he noted, expressing uncertainty about the days ahead.

The situation in Texas is part of a broader heatwave affecting around 123 million people across the U.S. on Tuesday. Most of the West, from Seattle to California and into Arizona, was expected to experience record high temperatures. The National Weather Service indicated that the high-pressure system sustaining the heatwave in the West is unlikely to move in the coming days. Large portions of the East, from the Gulf Coast up through the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, and into southern New England, were also forecast to endure oppressive heat, with daily highs surpassing 100 F (38 C).

(With inputs from agencies.)