Hurricane Beryl barrels toward Jamaica as Category 5 storm after ‘flattening’ Grenada island: Live updates
Hurricane Beryl is on a path to Jamaica after leaving a trail of destruction in Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines
Support truly
independent journalism
Our mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.
Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.
Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.
Louise Thomas
Editor
Hurricane Beryl is barreling toward Jamaica as a category 5 storm after charting a deadly path through Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines, flattening buildings, cutting off power and water, and killing at least two people.
Beryl, which has now intensified to the earliest category 5 storm recorded in the Atlantic after smashing the record as the earliest category 4 storm on record, made landfall in the Windward Islands on Monday.
Officials received “widespread reports of destruction and devastation in Carriacou and Petite Martinique,” Grenada prime minister Dickon Mitchell said. “In half an hour, Carriacou was flattened.”
At least one death was reported in Grenada and a second in St Vincent and the Grenadines, where Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said that around 90 percent of homes had been damaged or destroyed on the nation’s Union Island.
As of Tuesday morning, Beryl is now heading towards Jamaica, which is under a Hurricane Warning. The hurricane was located about 625 miles (1,005km) east-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica and 300 miles (485km) southeast of Isla Beata of the Dominican Republic, packing maximum sustained winds of 165mph (270km/h), the National Hurricane Center said. The Cayman Islands is also under a Hurricane Watch.
Mapped: Hurricane Beryl powers through Caribbean islands as Category 5 storm
Flight cancellations as Hurricane Beryl heads to the Caribbean
World Cup-winning Indian cricket team stranded in Barbados as Hurricane Beryl barrels in
X labeled AccuWeather’s Hurricane Beryl map as misinformation. Meteorologists worry it could cost lives
Hurricane Beryl brings ‘catastrophic’ winds and ‘life-threatening’ conditions to several islands
Hurricane Beryl is bringing catastrophic winds and life-threatening storm surge to the Grenadine Islands, Carriacou Island and Grenada, the National Weather Service said.
The storm’s maximum sustained winds increased to 150 mph earlier this morning as it made landfall on Carriacou Island.
In pictures: Hurricane Beryl brings ‘life-threatening’ winds and flooding
Satellite imagery shows Hurricane Beryl making landfall
Life-threatening Hurricane Beryl seen from space as Caribbean braces for Category 4 impact
Life-threatening Hurricane Beryl seen from space as Caribbean braces for impact
Hurricane Beryl could be seen from space swirling over the Caribbean as it was expected to bear down as a category 3 storm. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Beryl is expected to produce potentially catastrophic hurricane-force winds, a life-threatening storm surge, and damaging waves when it passes over portions of the Windward Islands with the highest risk of the core in St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada beginning later on Monday. Footage released by the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) at Colorado State University (CSU) on Sunday, 30 June, showed a view of lightning flashes within the hurricane’s eye wall.
Hurricane Beryl beats several records
Beryl was named the earliest-ever Category 4 hurricane as it approached the eastern Caribbean over the weekend. Hurricane Beryl is also the first major hurricane to reach this far east in the month of June.
Meanwhile, record-high ocean temperatures helped the storm grow from a tropical depression to Category 4 over the weekend.
The life-threatening storm is expected to make landfall within the next hour.
“Residents in the Grenadine Islands and Carriacou Island should not leave their shelter as winds will rapidly increase within the eyewall of Beryl,” the National Hurricane Center said. “Remain in place through the passage of these life-threatening conditions and do not venture out in the eye of the storm.”
Hurricane Beryl making landfall within next two hours
Hurricane Beryl is approaching the Windward Islands and will make landfall within the next hour or two, the National Hurricane Center said.
“This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation,” the National Hurricane Center posted. “Take action now to protect your life!”
Residents of the Grenadine Islands and Carriacou Island should stay inside as winds rapidly increase, according to the center.
Hurricane Beryl fueled by warm ocean temperatures amid climate crisis
Record-warm ocean temperatures gave Hurricane Beryl the strength to grow from a tropical depression to a Category 4 storm in a matter of days.
“Beryl is rewriting the history books in all the wrong ways,” Eric Blake, senior hurricane specialist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), said.
The human-driven climate crisis plays a role in these rising temperatures. Oceans absorb more than 90 percent of excess heat produced by greenhouse gases, according to NOAA.
High ocean temperatures, in addition to fueling storms like Hurricane Beryl, can contribute to sea level rise and hurt marine life.
Ocean temperatures will likely continue to rise even if we curb greenhouse gas emissions, according to NOAA.
In pictures: Communities brace for Hurricane Beryl
Communities in the eastern Caribbean rushed to complete preparations this weekend as Hurricane Beryl grew from a tropical depression to a Category 4 in a few days.
Mapped: Hurricane Beryl’s path
Hurricane Beryl, now strengthened to Category 4, is set to bring “potentially catastrophic hurricane-force winds, a life-threatening storm surge, and damaging waves” to the Windward Islands this morning.
The hurricane is set to move west throughout the week.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments