Hurricane Beryl heads for Cayman Islands as Category 3 storm after battering Jamaica: Live updates
Hurricane Beryl’s batters Jamaica and heads towards Cayman Islands, where it will bring life-threatening storm conditions
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The Cayman Islands are bracing for Hurricane Beryl, now a Category 3 storm, to pass by on Thursday with 115mph winds and dangerous storm surge as it moves away from Jamaica.
Beryl is due to bring hurricane-force winds, dangerous storm surge and heavy rainfall over portions of the Yucatan Peninsula and Belize beginning Thursday night. Strong winds, dangerous storm surge, damaging waves and flooding are expected in the Cayman Islands today.
Hurricane Beryl devastated Jamaica on Wednesday, knocking out power to 400,000 customers and destroying buildings. While the storm is moving away, rainfall and flash-flooding still pose a risk on the island.
Hurricane Beryl has killed at least ten 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, damaging or destroying 98 percent of buildings in the nation of 6,000.
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Hurricane conditions diminishing across Jamaica as it moves towards Cayman Islands
After Hurricane Beryl devastated several Caribbean islands this week and most recently battered Jamaica with Category 4-force winds, the National Hurricane Center said the extreme conditions should be subsiding around the island.
Storm surge should gradually be dwindling in Jamaica on Thursday morning; however, Beryl is still expected to produce rainfall totals of four to eight inches with localized amounts of 12 inches across this morning in the nation.
The rain could still cause life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides.
A Hurricane Warning has been discontinued in Jamaica as Beryl begins to move away from the island, the country’s Meteorological Service said on Wednesday night.
However, a flash flood watch was still in effect until 5am on Tuesday EST.
“With Jamaica now being outside of the range of hurricane force winds from Hurricane Beryl, and with storm surge no longer posing a threat to coastal areas of the island, the Hurricane Warning is being discontinued with immediate effect,” the Meteorological Service wrote in their bulletin.
Along with the continuing threats of rainfall and flash flooding in Jamaica in the aftermath of the hurricane, strong, gusty winds could still exist, and rising water levels will continue to affect southwestern coastal areas.
All small craft operators are urged to remain in port until sea conditions return to normal, the Meteorological Service said.
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced that the curfew imposed in the island nation will be extended until Thursday morning amid continuing adverse weather conditions.
The curfew went into effect at 11.00pm Wednesday (4am GMT Thursday) and will stay through the night until 6am (11am GMT) on Thursday.
Video: Aerial view captures extensive devastation in Carriacou caused by Hurricane Beryl
Hurricane Beryl dropped to a Category 3 storm
Hurricane Beryl has weakened to a Category 3 storm, however, it is still sustaining strong winds of 125mph (205 km/h), the National Hurricane Center has said in its most recent update.
Strong winds, dangerous storm surge and damaging waves are expected across the Cayman Islands overnight.
As of 2am EDT, the center of Hurricane Beryl was located by Grand Cayman and Air Force Hurricane Hunter radar imagery near latitude 18.3 North, longitude 80.1 West – around 110 miles (175km) southeast of Grand Cayman.
The core of Beryl will sweep just south of the Cayman Islands overnight and over the Yucatan Peninsula early Friday.
The hurricane is then expected to emerge over the southwestern Gulf of Mexico Friday night and turn northwestward.
Hurricane Beryl leaves Caribbean in 'immense destruction'
“The hurricane has come and gone, and it has left in its wake immense destruction,” prime minister Ralph Gonsalves of St Vincent and the Grenadines said.
In Grenada, prime minister Dickon Mitchell said they'll have to “We "rebuild from the ground up" after visiting the islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique, which sustained the maximum damage from Beryl.
“There’s no power and there’s almost complete destruction of homes and buildings on the island. The roads are not passable, and in many instances, they are cut off because of the large quantity of debris strewn all over the streets.”
Beryl is the earliest ever category 5 storm ever recorded. It occurred as ocean heat in the Atlantic was already higher due to global heating, nearing levels usually seen in peak season in September.
This has raised alarm over what the rest of the Atlantic hurricane season could be like.
“It’s really scary stuff,” Steve Maximay, a climate and agriculture expert in Grenada, told The Independent.
”When you talk about category four and five, there are very few systems or protocols that can prepare you for that. You can have resilient buildings but category five winds can move concrete structures.”
Read the full story:
Seven people killed and islands flattened as hurricane Beryl devastates Carribean
‘There is literally no vegetation left anywhere on the island of Carriacou,’ says Grenada’s prime minister
Mexico's Caribbean coast prepares for 'rare' double strike of Hurricane Beryl
The head of Mexico's civil defence agency said that Hurricane Beryl is expected to make a rare double strike on Mexico.
Late on Wednesday night, the storm's centre was about 500 miles (800 kilometres) east-southeast of Tulum, Mexico.
It had maximum sustained winds of 130 mph (215 kph) and was moving west-northwest at 21 mph (32 kph). Hurricane strength winds extended 45 miles from the centre.
Laura Velazquez said the hurricane is expected to make landfall along a relatively unpopulated stretch of the Caribbean coast between Tulum and the inland town of Felipe Carrillo Puerto.
Because the coast there is largely made up of lagoons and mangroves, there are few resorts or hotels in the area south of Tulum.
On Wednesday, Mexican government officials moved sea turtle eggs off Cancun beaches in an attempt to protect them from storm surge.
The hurricane is expected to weaken to a tropical storm as it crosses the Yucatan peninsula and re-emerge over the weekend at storm strength into the Gulf of Mexico.
Ms Velazquez said that Beryl is then expected to hit Mexican territory a second time in the Gulf coast states of Veracruz or Tamaulipas, near the Texas border.
In Photos: Damage wrought by Hurricane Beryl
Curfew extended in Jamaica
Jamaican prime minister Andrew Holness announced that the curfew imposed in the island nation will be extended until Thursday morning amid continuing adverse weather conditions.
The storm caused flooding, mudslides and knocked off trees and electricity poles, cutting connectivity to several towns.
More than 400,000 people were without power, according to the Jamaica Gleaner newspaper, citing a public service company.
"After reviewing the current situation, it was assessed that the continuing weather conditions, in addition to consideration for public safety, public order, and the protection of property, warrant the declaration of a new curfew," Mr Holness wrote on X.
The curfew went into effect at 11.00pm Wednesday (4am GMT Thursday) and will stay through the night until 6am (11am GMT) on Thursday.
"This storm will pass, and we will recover," Mr Holness wrote.
Hurricane Beryl tears roof off school as storm rips through Caribbean
Hurricane Beryl pulling away from Jamaica as it heads to Caymon Islands next
Ferocious winds, rainfall, and life-threating storm surges from Hurricane Beryl were still battering Jamaica on Wednesday night local time as the storm continues to tread westwards, eyeing Caymon Islands next.
The Jamaican government said several roadways in the country’s interior settlements were impacted by fallen trees and utility poles, while some communities in the northern section and the capital were without electricity.
Beryl was forecast to weaken slightly over the next day or two, but still be at or near major-hurricane strength when it passes near the Cayman Islands on Thursday morning and into Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula late Thursday or Friday, according to the US National Hurricane Centre.
The storm is still packing maximum sustained winds of 130mph (215kph), making it a category 4 storm, and was moving west-northwest at 21mph (32kph). Hurricane strength winds extended 45 miles from the centre.
Hurricane Beryl inflicted ‘staggering’ damage on Barbados, prime minister says
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.
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