Hurricane Beryl, a powerful Category 5 storm, is rapidly approaching Jamaica, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake across the Caribbean. The hurricane, which has intensified to winds of up to 165 miles per hour (250 kilometers per hour), made its initial landfall on Monday on the small island of Carriacou, part of Grenada.
The storm’s impact has already been severe. In Grenada, one fatality has been reported, and the entire island experienced a complete power outage. Another death was reported in St. Vincent, though this information is still pending verification.
The hurricane’s path through the eastern Caribbean has left communities grappling with downed power lines, widespread flooding, and significant property damage.
Warning for Jamaica
As of Tuesday at 1200 GMT, Hurricane Beryl was located approximately 625 miles (1,006 km) east-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica’s capital. The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) has issued dire warnings for Jamaica, predicting between 4 to 12 inches of rainfall on Wednesday.
Hurricane Beryl poses a serious risk of flash floods and landslides, particularly in mountainous regions. The National Hurricane Center Director Michael Brennan said,
“This is a big hazard in the Caribbean, especially with the mountainous islands.”
The timing and rapid intensification of Beryl are unusual for the Atlantic hurricane season, which typically peaks later in the year. Climate scientists attribute this partly to warmer ocean temperatures, highlighting the potential influence of climate change on tropical storm patterns.
In response to the approaching threat, Jamaica issued a hurricane warning on Monday. Prime Minister Andrew Holness said,
“I am encouraging all Jamaicans to take the hurricane as a serious threat. This could cause life threatening flash floods and mudslides in some of these areas.”
Potentially Catastrophic
Neighboring countries are also on high alert, with tropical storm warnings in effect for parts of the southern coasts of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The NHC has described Hurricane Beryl as “potentially catastrophic,” emphasizing the risk of life-threatening winds and storm surges.
While Beryl has reached the maximum intensity on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale as a Category 5 storm, forecasters expect it to weaken slightly as it approaches Jamaica. However, this decrease in strength is unlikely to significantly reduce the storm’s destructive potential.
The NHC predicts that Beryl’s center will move swiftly across the southeastern and central Caribbean Sea on Tuesday, approaching Jamaica on Wednesday and the Cayman Islands by Thursday. This rapid movement gives affected areas limited time to prepare.
Breaking Records
Hurricane Beryl quickly progressed from a Category 1 to a Category 4 storm within 10 hours, according to Andra Garner, a Rowan University meteorologist. That marked the fastest intensification ever recorded before September. According to Philip Klotzbach, a hurricane forecast expert at Colorado State University,
“This early-season storm activity is breaking records that were set in 1933 and 2005, two of the busiest Atlantic hurricane seasons on record.”
Throughout the eastern Caribbean, residents have been taking precautionary measures, boarding up windows, stockpiling food and water, and ensuring their vehicles are fueled. The storm’s approach has also disrupted maritime traffic, with dozens of vessels altering their routes to avoid the hurricane’s path.
The impact of Hurricane Beryl extends beyond the immediate Caribbean region. Mexican officials have begun preparations for the storm’s potential arrival later in the week, with the federal government urging both authorities and citizens to exercise “extreme caution.”
