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Hurricane Beulah or Hurricane BUA in Mexico was an intense Category 5 hurricane which impacted the Greater Antilles, Mexico, and Texas in September 1967. The second tropical storm, second hurricane, only major hurricane, and strongest storm in the 1967 Atlantic hurricane season, Beulah tracked through the Caribbean, struck the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico as a major hurricane, and moved west-northwestward into the Gulf of Mexico, briefly becoming a Category 5 hurricane. The hurricane made landfall just north of the mouth of the Rio Grande as a Category 3 hurricane. It spawned 115 across Texas, which established a new record for the highest amount of tornadoes produced by a tropical cyclone. Due to its slow movement over Texas, Beulah led to significant flooding. Throughout its path, at least 59 people were killed and total damage reached $234.6 million (1967 USD), of which $200 million occurred in the United States, $26.9 million occurred in Mexico, and $7.65 million occurred in the eastern Caribbean.
A slow-moving system, the depression steadily organized as it approached the Lesser Antilles. Observations from aircraft reconnaissance indicated that the system attained gale-force winds by 12:00 UTC on September 7, resulting in its upgrade to a tropical storm. It was also assigned the name Beulah, making it the second named storm of the 1967 season. Shortly after being named, Beulah clipped the southern coast of Martinique and entered the eastern Caribbean. Feeding off the warm waters of the Caribbean, the cyclone quickly strengthened and reached Category 1 hurricane intensity by 18:00 UTC on September 8. Rapid deepening ensued thereafter, with the storm's central pressure falling to 940 mbar (hPa; ) the following day, as it passed south of Puerto Rico. At this time, 1-minute sustained winds were estimated to be at least , ranking Beulah as a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale (SSHS). Upon reaching this strength, weather radar imagery from San Juan, Puerto Rico showed that Beulah featured a wide eye, surrounded by an intense eyewall about thick.
During the evening of September 9, Beulah turned westward as weak ridge developed over the Bahamas, between it and the newly formed Tropical Storm Doria. The powerful storm weakened somewhat as an eyewall replacement cycle began to take shape. During this phase, the inner-eye of Beulah contracted to roughly in diameter while a second eyewall spanned an area across. The smaller eye soon dissipated, and the larger one became the single, dominant feature by the morning of September 10. The completion of this process marked the first time that an eyewall replacement cycle was observed in its entirety. The aforementioned westward turn placed the Dominican Republic in the line of danger, an area still reeling from the devastating effects of Hurricane Inez just one year prior. However, the storm unexpectedly collapsed as it approached the Barahona Peninsula and struck the area as a greatly weakened, though still significant, Category 1 hurricane, with estimated winds of around 18:00 UTC on September 11.
Skirting the southern coast of Haiti's Tiburon Peninsula, Beulah further degraded to a tropical storm by the morning of September 12. Unseasonably strong wind shear associated with the jet stream, resulting from an upper-level trough to the north, and the cyclone's interaction with land were responsible for the dramatic degradation. By the time it had cleared Haiti, Beulah was no more than a minimal tropical storm, with sustained winds near . The storm's central pressure had also risen by roughly 60 mbar (hPa; ) to 1000 mbar (hPa; ). Originally seen as a threat to Jamaica, northeasterly flow induced a southerly component to the track and pushed the cyclone south of the island on September 13. The shear previously impeding organization abated on September 14, and a ridge re-established itself to Beulah's north, allowing the storm to resume a west-northwest to northwest track. The upper-level changes led to a favorable environment for intensification, and Beulah regained hurricane strength by 12:00 UTC on September 14, while located about south-southeast of Havana, Cuba.
Moving through the climatologically favorable western Caribbean, Beulah quickly regained Category 3 major hurricane status on September 15, with 1-minute sustained winds estimated at . The storm's central pressure fell to on September 16, before some weakening took place. Beulah ultimately made landfall on Cozumel Island, with winds of at least later that day, and struck the mainland Yucatán Peninsula hours later. Despite moving over land, little weakening took place by the time the hurricane emerged over the Gulf of Mexico about 24 hours later. The hurricane maintained its intensity throughout September 18, as it moved west-northwest to southern Tamaulipas, Mexico. However, on September 19, a pronounced phase of rapid intensification, took place as Beulah turned northwest to the Rio Grande Valley region. Aircraft reconnaissance throughout the day found falling pressures and ultimately measured a value of 923 mbar (hPa; ) around 18:00 UTC. This was the second-lowest pressure ever recorded by aircraft at the time, behind a 920 mbar (hPa; ) measurement in Hurricane Hattie of 1961. Beulah was estimated to have achieved its peak intensity shortly thereafter, as a Category 5 hurricane with maximum 1-minute sustained winds estimated at .
Regarded as the third-largest hurricane on record at the time, Beulah moved along a slowing, erratic, and somewhat path. Slight weakening ensued as it neared land and Beulah ultimately made its final landfall south of Brownsville, Texas, near the mouth of the Rio Grande around 13:00 UTC on September 20. No direct measurements exist at the core of the hurricane as it moved ashore; however, based on a minimum pressure of 951 mbar (hPa; ) in Brownsville, the hurricane likely struck land with a central pressure below that value. A vessel anchored in the Port of Brownsville measured peak wind gusts of , equivalent to a low-end Category 4 hurricane. According to the National Hurricane Center, Beulah struck as a Category 3 hurricane, and was originally thought to have had a central pressure of 950 mbar (hPa; ) at landfall, but a 2020 re-evaluation as part of the Atlantic hurricane reanalysis project lowered this to 940 mbar (). Once over land, the hurricane slowly weakened as it remained relatively close to the coast. Sustained winds dropped below hurricane-force on September 21, roughly 24 hours after landfall. The system subsequently stalled near Alice, Texas, before turning to the southwest. It was initially thought that, after diminishing to a tropical depression late on September 22, Beulah's circulation finally dissipated over the mountainous terrain of Nuevo León, Mexico; however, the 2020 reanalysis concluded that Beulah survived through at least September 24, when it reemerged into the Gulf of Mexico, crossing the Mexican coast between the cities of Tampico and Tuxpan. Due to a lack of suitable observations, it is unknown how much longer after this Beulah continued to exist as a tropical depression over the southern Gulf of Mexico before degenerating into an open trough.
Across the Dominican Republic, an estimated 200,000 people evacuated from coastal areas.
Heavy rains triggered flooding and landslides across St. Vincent, blocking numerous roads and causing some damage. Two children were killed after a boulder, dislodged by the rains, crashed into their home. Damage on St. Lucia reached $3 million, mainly stemming from the banana crop which was largely ruined. The periphery of the hurricane brought rainfall primarily to southwestern Puerto Rico, where a maximum of fell at Maricao.David M. Roth. Hurricane Beulah Black Background, Color-Filled Image for Puerto Rico. Retrieved on 2008-02-28. One person lost their life on the island and damage was a minimal $150,000.
Owing to effective evacuations, only two people lost their lives in the Dominican Republic. The core of Beulah impacted areas devastated by Hurricane Inez a year prior, leaving extensive damage in its wake. Media reports indicated that more than 1,000 people were left homeless across the Barahona Peninsula. affected the southern coasts of both the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
Beulah had limited impact on Jamaica as it brushed the island as a weak tropical storm. According to newspapers, gale-force winds affected the nation though there were no reports of damage.
Throughout Mexico, Beulah killed 19 people. Economic losses across Tampico reached 500 million Mexican peso. Across the Yucatán Peninsula, the Government of Mexico set up an air lift of food and medical supplies to isolated areas by September 18.
Hurricane Beulah's right-front quadrant produced of storm tide surge, crossing Padre Island at Baffin Bay (Texas) and at the Arroyo Colorado where compound flooding occurred as storm surge from the Gulf of Mexico, converged with extreme inland floodwaters flowing east from the Arroyo Colorado river delta into the tidal surge of the Laguna Madre (United States). In this remote section of the barrier island, a barrier flat exists. The storm also caused 31 cuts through Padre Island, all occurring south of a point 30 miles south of Corpus Christi. The height of the storm surge diminished further south on Padre Island toward Port Isabel, Texas, but a reliable high-water mark of 12 ft MSL was ascertained in a damaged house in the community. The highest sustained wind was , reported aboard the SS Shirley Lykes, which was anchored in the Port of Brownsville. Winds as high as were measured at the Brownsville National Weather Service office at landfall. Since the hurricane bent the anemometer 30 degrees from the vertical, it is possible the winds at Brownsville were underestimated.National Weather Service Office Houston/Galveston, Texas. PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT. Retrieved on 2007-06-23. Gusts of over were recorded as far inland as the towns of McAllen, Edinburg, Mission, and Pharr, some from the gulf coast. Beulah spawned a record 115 Robert Orton. Tornadoes Associated With Hurricane Beulah on September 19-23, 1967. Retrieved on 2007-06-23. which destroyed homes, commercial property, and inflicted serious damage on the region's agricultural industry. The tornado record from Beulah would survive until Hurricane Ivan set a new record in 2004. The Rio Grande Valley's citrus industry, based on cultivation of the famous "Ruby Red" grapefruit, was particularly hard hit.
Animal life in the region responded in various ways to survive. Ants survived the floods by congregating in spheres of living colonies and floated down streams to safety. Predaceous beetle larvae preyed on frogs and rodents. Crustaceans from the beaches migrated en masse to the protection of high ground.N. E. Flitters. Hurricane Beulah. A report in retrospect on the hurricane and its effect on biological processes in the Rio Grande Valley. Retrieved on 2007-06-23.
Hurricane Beulah caused an estimated US$200 million in damage. Sources report 15 total deaths in Texas from the storm.
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