PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
600 AM CDT MON MAY 21 2007

...HURRICANE BEULAH...
...WRITTEN BY NWS BROWNSVILLE...

HURRICANE BEULAH WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR BEING ONE OF THE MOST
DEVASTATING HURRICANES EVER EXPERIENCED ACROSS THE STATE OF TEXAS.
THIS POWERFUL HURRICANE MADE LANDFALL OVER THE BROWNSVILLE AREA
DURING THE MORNING OF SEPTEMBER 20TH 1967...MOVED SLOWLY INLAND
TOWARD ALICE BY THE MORNING OF SEPTEMBER 21...AND THEN GRADUALLY
MOVED SOUTHWEST AND DISSIPATED OVER THE MOUNTAINS OF MEXICO NEAR THE
CITY OF MONTERREY ON SEPTEMBER 22.

BEULAH BEGAN AS A WEAK AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS EAST OF THE LESSER
ANTILLES AND DEVELOPED INTO A TROPICAL DEPRESSION ON SEPTEMBER 5.
THE DEPRESSION GRADUALLY STRENGTHENED INTO TROPICAL STORM BEULAH ON
SEPTEMBER 7. IT BECAME A HURRICANE THE NEXT DAY WHILE SLOWLY MOVING
WESTWARD THROUGH THE EASTERN CARIBBEAN. BEULAH THEN MADE IMPACT WITH
HISPANIOLA AND TEMPORARILY DECREASED TO A TROPICAL STORM ONCE AGAIN.
BEULAH THEN PROCEEDED TO STRENGTHEN ONCE AGAIN OVER THE WESTERN
CARIBBEAN SEA.

THE HURRICANE THEN SET ITS SIGHTS ON COZUMEL MEXICO WHERE IT MADE
LANDFALL ON SEPTEMBER 16 AS A CATEGORY 2 HURRICANE ON THE
SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE...WITH WINDS NEAR 100 MPH. BEULAH THEN
PROCEEDED NORTHWESTWARD INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO WHERE IT INTENSIFIED
INTO A POWERFUL AND VIOLENT CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE. ON SEPTEMBER
19...THE CENTRAL PRESSURE HAD DECREASED TO 923 MB...WHICH AT THE
TIME WAS THE SECOND LOWEST PRESSURE EVER RECORDED IN A HURRICANE IN
THE GULF OF MEXICO. WINDS AT THE TIME WERE ESTIMATED TO BE NEAR 160
MPH.

BEULAH PRODUCED WINDS TO 136 MPH...AS MEASURED BY A SHIP IN PORT
BROWNSVILLE...AND WINDS TO 109 MPH AT THE BROWNSVILLE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE STATION AT LANDFALL. IT WAS LATER DISCOVERED THAT
THE ANEMOMETER AT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAS TILTED 30 DEGREES
BY THE FURY OF THE WINDS AND THE ACTUAL PEAK WIND SPEED MAY HAVE
BEEN MUCH HIGHER. THE HIGHEST ESTIMATED STORM SURGE NEAR BROWNSVILLE
WAS ABOUT 10 FEET...DUE PRIMARILY TO THE UNFAVORABLE TRACK BEULAH
TOOK RELATIVE TO THE COAST PRIOR TO LANDFALL.

TORRENTIAL RAINS AFFECTED SOUTH TEXAS IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE
HURRICANE WITH MOST AREAS EXPERIENCING 10 TO 20 INCHES OF RAIN WITH
ISOLATED AMOUNTS NEAR 30 INCHES IN SOME SPOTS. THE SUBSEQUENT
FLOODING WAS WIDESPREAD ACROSS MUCH OF SOUTH TEXAS.

BEULAH WAS ALSO A PROLIFIC TORNADO PRODUCER. THIS INTENSE HURRICANE
PRODUCED 115 TORNADOES ACROSS SOUTH TEXAS. NEARLY SIXTY LIVES WERE
LOST ACROSS TEXAS AND NORTHERN MEXICO DUE TO THE FLOODS AND
TORNADOES. THE STORM PRODUCED NEARLY A BILLION DOLLARS IN
DAMAGE...ADJUSTED TO 2005 VALUES. THE NAME BEULAH WAS RETIRED AND
WILL NEVER BE USED FOR ANOTHER ATLANTIC HURRICANE.