Hurricane Beryl slams into Jamaica with life-threatening storm surge and winds: Live updates
Hurricane Beryl’s path includes Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, where it will bring life-threatening storm conditions
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Hurricane Beryl is hitting Jamaica with life-threatening rain, 145mph winds and storm surge that could raise coastal levels by 9 feet after charting a deadly path through the eastern Caribbean.
High winds from the Category 4 storm have already knocked down power lines in Portland, the Jamaica Observer reports. Officials have declared Jamaica a disaster area and imposed a curfew for Wednesday.
There are more than 900 shelters across Jamaica and an evacuation process for those in flood-prone areas, Information Minister Dana Morris Dixon said.
The storm’s eye will approach the Cayman Islands tonight before heading toward Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.
Hurricane Beryl has killed at least seven people. The storm intensified to the earliest Category 5 storm recorded in the Atlantic overnight before weakening back to Category 4 on Tuesday.
While the storm is expected to weaken later this week, it will likely remain a major hurricane. Hurricane Beryl has the potential to hit southern Texas and Louisiana over the weekend, according to the National Weather Service.
Grenada was left with “unimaginable” destruction after the storm passed through Monday, Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell said. Officials said 98 percent of buildings in the nation of 6,000 had been damaged or destroyed.
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Hurricane Beryl devastated Barbados after barreling through the nation on Monday, Prime Minister Mia Mottley said.
“While Barbados was spared the worst of Hurricane Beryl, the damage left is still staggering,” Mottley wrote on X.
“Today, I toured some of the most affected areas to assess the damage, engage with those most affected and also chart the course forward for how we build back stronger and more resilient,” she continued.
Jamaica and the Cayman Islands will see similar devastating impacts on Wednesday as Hurricane Beryl, a Category 4 storm with 145mph winds, continues on its path through the Caribbean Sea.
Hurricane Beryl knocks out power in parts of Jamaica
High winds from Hurricane Beryl have already knocked down power lines in Portland, the Jamaica Observer reports. A downed power line in the town of Anchovy has also created low voltage in a home, according to the outlet.
Officials have declared Jamaica a disaster area and imposed a curfew for Wednesday.
There are more than 900 shelters across Jamaica and an evacuation process for those in flood-prone and low-lying areas, Information Minister Dana Morris Dixon said on Wednesday morning.
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Parts of Mexico now under Hurricane Warning
The National Weather Service has issued a Hurricane Warning for the coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula from Puerto Costa Maya to Cancun.
Hurricane Beryl, currently a Category 4 storm with 145mph winds, is expected to hit the peninsula on Thursday after sweeping through the Cayman Islands.
The hurricane is currently off the coast of Jamaica, where residents are bracing for life-threatening rain and storm surge.
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Residents of Texas, Louisiana should keep close eye on Hurricane Beryl, meteorologist says
As experts work to chart Hurricane Beryl’s potential path toward to the US this weekend, a meteorologist with Fox 35 Orlando says Texas and Louisiana residents should be on high alert.
“Continues on the point that the Texas coastline to Louisiana should keep tabs closely with Hurricane Beryl,” Noah Bergen said on X. “I think the most likely path at now would be more into far [southeast Texas] or [northeast Mexico], but there is clearly a wide range of outcomes.”
Meteorologists will have more clarity on Beryl’s path after it passes by Jamaica today, Bergen said. Beryl will hit the Cayman Islands overnight before slamming into Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on Thursday, the National Weather Service said.
‘Life-threatening’ conditions to begin in Jamaica within hours
“Devastating” winds and “life-threatening” storm surge will hit Jamaica in a matter of hours, the National Weather Service (NWS) said moments ago.
Mountain regions in Jamaica will see the worst of the “destructive” winds, according to the NWS.
Ahead of Beryl’s arrival, officials declared Jamaica a disaster area and imposed a curfew on Wednesday.
There are more than 900 shelters across the country and an evacuation process for those in flood-prone and low-lying areas, Information Minister Dana Morris Dixon said on Wednesday morning.
Climate change ‘contributing significantly’ to Hurricane Beryl: Jamaican official
The human-driven climate crisis is “contributing significantly” to Hurricane Beryl, Jamaica’s Minister of Local Government and Community Development Desmond McKenzie told CNN on Tuesday.
“As a small island state, we are subjected to what the greater world around us is presenting,” McKenzie told the outlet. Hurricane Beryl is set to hit Jamaica this afternoon before rushing towards the Cayman Islands.
The Alliance of Small Island States, an organization designed to create a unified voice for small island nations to address the ongoing climate crisis, issued a similar statement on Tuesday after Hurricane Beryl brought destruction to several islands in the eastern Caribbean.
“We continue to be sacrificed on the frontlines of a climate crisis we did not cause,” the statement said. “Our sea temperatures grow warmer, encouraging storms to strengthen at alarming speed and increasing the dire threat to our developing countries. The increased danger is evident for the world to see.”
High water temperatures can contribute to sea level rise and hurt marine life in addition to fueling strong storms like Hurricane Beryl. Ocean temperatures will likely continue to rise even if we curb greenhouse gas emissions, according to NOAA.
Island nations are at the front lines of the climate crisis, given their vulnerability to violent storms and sea-level rise.
“If the world does not stand with [Small Island Developing States] now, it is only a matter of time before we are all lost,” the alliance continued.
Army deployed in Mexico to prepare for Hurricane Beryl on Thursday
The US National Hurricane Center has also declared a hurricane watch for Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula, dotted with beach resorts popular with tourists.
Ahead of the storm’s approach expected Thursday night, Mexico’s defense ministry said the army, air force, and national guard had activated emergency response protocols in the three Yucatan states.
Some 120 shelters opened and nearly 4,900 troops on guard on the peninsula.
In the resort town of Cancun, supplies of the wooden boards used to protect shop fronts were dwindling as residents prepared for Beryl’s arrival.
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