Hurricane Beryl intensifying as it nears Houston

Hurricane Beryl strengthened as it neared the Texas coast on Sunday, the US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said, forcing the closure of major oil ports, flight cancellations and a warning it would be a deadly storm for communities hit.

Beryl, the earliest category 5 hurricane on record, last week swept through Jamaica, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, toppling buildings and power lines and killing at least 11 people, Reuters reported.

The storm weakened after its deadly trail of destruction across the Caribbean, but strengthened into a category 1 hurricane as it crossed the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

By the time it reaches landfall near Houston on Monday it could be a category 2 storm.

"Additional strengthening is expected before landfall on the Texas coast," the NHC said in its latest advisory.