UPDATE: 8:00 AM EST Thurs July 4, 2024
Hurricane Beryl has moved to a Category 3 Hurricane. The storm did major damage to Jamaica's southern coast and continues to batter the Cayman Islands.
Next in it's path, Hurricane Beryl will reach the Yucatan Peninsula on Friday and then make it's way into the southern Gulf of Mexico by Saturday morning, where it is projected to downgrade to a tropical storm.
Tulum International Airport announced it will be closed ahead of Beryl's arrival. Cancun has issued a Hurricane watch for the city. The Cancun International Airport is operating normal as of right now, but it is in “Alert 01, Uncertainty Phase” where it is monitoring the storm and prepared to act as needed.
UPDATE: 12:00 PM EST Wed July 3, 2024
Hurricane Beryl is now a Category 4 level hurricane, but remains dangerous as it continues heading for Jamaica, which it will reach this afternoon. It's expected to reach Grand Cayman this evening or early morning. Both island nations are under hurricane warnings.
Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula from Puerto Costa Maya to Cancun is now also part of the hurricane warning. Additionally, hurricane watches are in effect for other parts of the peninsula. It's expected to reach the Yucatan Peninsula on Thursday night or early Friday morning.
The hurricane is traveling at 18 mph and has maximum sustained wind speeds of 145 mph. It is currently 75 miles southeast of Kingston, Jamaica. Flights to and from Jamaica have been canceled, while the government of the Cayman Islands and Cayman Airways continues evacuating travelers and residents who wish to leave ahead of the hurricane's landfall.
Additionally, cruise lines with ships currently operating across the Caribbean have reported changes to their itineraries to avoid the hurricane's destructive weather path. These include the Carnival Horizon, Carnival Liberty, Norwegian Breakaway, Norwegian Jade, Icon of the Seas, Wonder of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas, Disney Fantasy and Celebrity Beyond.
UPDATE: 8:30 AM EST Tues July 2, 2024
Hurricane Beryl has become the year's earliest Atlantic Category 5 hurricane recorded by human history. The National Hurricane Center's morning report found Beryl moving at about 22 mph with maximum sustained wind speeds of 165 mph.
Overnight, it swept through the Windward Islands, hitting the Grenadian islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique with winds of 150 mph, downing power lines and wreaking destruction. According to St. Vincent and the Grenadines' Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, at least one person is dead in the multi-island nation, but it's too early to make an official count. Both Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines are without power and water.
A report by Reuters suggests that climate change is partially to blame for the severity of the storm so early in the Atlantic hurricane season, since Beryl had went from a Category 1 to a Category 4 hurricane in less than 10 hours due to warmer Atlantic water temperatures.
The NHC warns that Beryl will head for Jamaica and make landfall Wednesday and pass near the Cayman Islands on Thursday. Jamaica is currently under a hurricane warning, while the Cayman Islands are under a hurricane watch. Beryl is expected to weaken, but remain at major intensity when it passes by both nations.
Hispaniola, the island home to both Haiti and the Dominican Republic, is expected to receive 2-6 inches of rainfall along the southern part of the island.
Jamaica is expecting 4-6 feet storm surges and 4-8 inches of rainfall, likely causing flash flooding. The Cayman Islands are expecting to receive 1-3 feet in storm surge and rainfall that could also cause flash flooding in some areas.
UPDATE: 9:00 AM EST Mon July 1, 2024
Hurricane Beryl, the first major hurricane of the year and, according to the Associated Press, the first major hurricane east of the Lesser Antilles in June in recorded history, is continuing its course towards the islands of Barbados, Grenada, Tobago and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, which are all under hurricane warnings.
According to an update from the National Hurricane Center at 9:00 a.m. AST, the Windward Islands will see the hurricane make landfall within the next few hours. A Barbados weather station reported sustained winds of 44 mph and wind gusts of 60 mph.
Hurricane Beryl is located about 60 miles east of Grenada and is traveling at 20 mph with a maximum sustained wind of 130 mph. A category 4 hurricane is the second-highest hurricane strength classification. Hurricanes are classified by their wind speeds, which are a good indicator of severity.
A tropical storm warning is also in effect for the islands of Martinique, Trinidad and St. Lucia, while portions of the Dominican Republic and Haiti are under a tropical storm watch.
UPDATE: 9:30 AM ET, Sat June 29, 2024
The storm has strengthened, becoming Hurricane Beryl now and charging towards the Caribbean. It's now the first major Hurricane of the 2024 season, which is predicted to be among the most active hurricane seasons ever.
AccuWeather meteorologists have warned it will remain a Category 4 as it moves through the Lesser Antilles.
Original text:
Tropical Storm Beryl could attain hurricane status, which would make it the first named hurricane of the season. Forecasters say it
has an 80 percent chance of development.
And that could mean a
disruption in travel in South Florida and the Caribbean. And, heavy rains
in the northeast could also play havoc as flood watches have been issued in
several cities.
But according to the National Hurricane Center, it doesn’t appear to be
as bad as Hurricane Ian was two years ago in southwest Florida. It appears more
likely to hit the Windward Islands.
“The tropical
wave in the eastern Atlantic Ocean should slowly organize, and it may become
our next tropical depression or storm in the next seven days,” meteorologist
Leigh Spann said. “It will battle the dust coming from the Sahara
Desert that will limit its ability to get too strong. Most of the
computer forecast models take the system west toward the Caribbean Sea.”
A second tropical
wave could also be problematic for the Caribbean but has a less likely chance
of development.
It is
incumbent on air travelers to check with their respective airlines for delays
and cancelations, and any possible change in waivers. This is expected to be one
of the most active Atlantic Hurricane seasons in recent memory.
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