*

Beryl makes landfall near coastal town of Matagorda

*

Expected to weaken to tropical storm later on Monday

*

Oil port closures could disrupt crude shipments

(Adds details from NHC briefing in paragraph 6, resident quote

9-10, background on oil producers, 12)

By Tyler Clifford

July 8 (Reuters) - Hurricane Beryl made landfall near

the coastal town of Matagorda in Texas early on Monday, pounding

coastal areas with dangerous storm surges, strong winds and

heavy rain as it moved inland, the U.S. National Hurricane

Center (NHC) said.

Beryl, the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record, swept

through Jamaica, Grenada, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines

last week, killing at least 11 people and toppling buildings and

power lines.

The approaching storm led to major oil port closures and

forced hundreds of flight cancellations, and following warnings

in Texas that it could be a deadly storm for communities in its

path, residents rushed to board up windows and stock up on fuel

and other essential supplies.

The storm had strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane as it

crossed the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico before making

landfall, but it is now expected to weaken rapidly.

"Beryl is expected to weaken to a tropical storm later today

and to a tropical depression on Tuesday," the NHC said. "Steady

to rapid weakening is expected as the center moves inland."

Currently located about 70 miles (115 km) south south-west

of Houston, Beryl was moving at 12 mph (19 kph) and was expected

to barrel over eastern parts of the state through the course of

the day before moving into the Lower Mississippi Valley into the

Ohio Valley on Tuesday and Wednesday, the NHC said.

Acting Governor Dan Patrick on Sunday declared 120 counties

to be disaster areas ahead of the storm and warned Beryl would

be a deadly storm for people directly in its path.

Schools said they would be closed as the storm approached.

Airlines canceled hundreds of flights, and officials ordered a

smattering of evacuations in beach towns.

Resident Gary Short said he was most concerned about

possible flooding.

"I'm more worried about the rain than anything," he said as

he filled up cans with gasoline at a service station on Sunday.

"Other than that, not too concerned. Just getting ready."

Closures of major oil-shipping ports around Corpus Christi,

Galveston and Houston ahead of the storm could disrupt crude oil

exports, shipments of crude to refineries, and motor fuel from

the plants.

Some oil producers, including Shell and Chevron ( CVX )

, had evacuated personnel from their Gulf of Mexico

offshore production platforms ahead of the storm.