Catastrophic Hurricane Beryl makes landfall as Category 4 Live updates
Hurricane Beryl, now a Category 5 storm, has made a historic and devastating impact as it barrels through the southeastern Caribbean. The National Hurricane Center reported that Beryl’s winds reached 160 mph on Monday night, making it the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record. This breaks the previous record set by Hurricane Emily on July 17, 2005, by more than two weeks. The rapid intensification of Beryl has raised concerns that this hurricane season could mirror the historically busy 2005 season.
Hurricane hunter reconnaissance flights on Monday confirmed Beryl’s continued strengthening. By 11 p.m., the storm’s winds had increased from 155 mph to 160 mph, classifying it as a “potentially catastrophic category 5 hurricane.” The central barometric pressure of Beryl dropped to 938 millibars, but forecasters expect its Category 5 status to be brief, predicting a steady decline in windspeed.
As of Monday night, Beryl was located about 510 miles east-southeast of Isla Beata in the Dominican Republic, moving west-northwest at 22 mph. The hurricane’s center is projected to move across the southeastern and central Caribbean Sea into Tuesday, with an expected pass near Jamaica on Wednesday. Although Beryl is forecast to weaken after reaching Jamaica, it is expected to remain a hurricane in the northwestern Caribbean.
Beryl made landfall on Grenada’s Carriacou Island as a Category 4 storm at 11:10 a.m. on Monday, with winds of 150 mph. The storm caused widespread power outages and significant damage, with residents advised to shelter in place. The last major hurricane to hit Grenada was Ivan in 2004, which caused extensive devastation with winds over 135 mph.
The government of Jamaica has issued a hurricane warning for the island. From St. Lucia to Grenada, streets are littered with debris, and power and communication outages have made it difficult to assess the full extent of injuries and property damage. The Associated Press reported that parts of trees and personal effects are scattered across the streets.
Beryl’s rapid intensification is attributed to record-warm ocean temperatures, which led to a gain of 95 mph in just 42½ hours. This phenomenon occurs when a storm strengthens by at least 35 mph in a 24-hour period. Beryl became the earliest Category 4 hurricane on record and the first June major hurricane east of the Lesser Antilles. The storm briefly weakened to a Category 3 on Monday but regained strength early in the day.
Developments from the affected areas include at least one reported death in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, with Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves noting widespread devastation and hundreds of homes damaged or destroyed. St. Lucia’s Prime Minister Philip Pierre reported strong winds, torrential rains, flooding, and property destruction. The National Hurricane Center warned of storm surges in the Windward Islands reaching 6 to 9 feet above normal tide levels, with large, destructive waves. Rainfall could cause flooding, with 3 to 6 inches expected in Barbados and the Windward Islands, and up to 10 inches in isolated locations.
Hurricane Beryl’s rapid transformation from a tropical depression to a major hurricane in less than 42 hours has alarmed meteorologists. This is only the seventh time such a quick rise in category has occurred with an Atlantic storm, and it has never happened before September 1, the heart of the hurricane season. Chief science officer Steve Bowen of Gallagher Re, a reinsurance firm, warned that this is a massive warning sign for the rest of the season.
The big question on the minds of millions of U.S. residents is whether Hurricane Beryl could hit the U.S. coast. The National Hurricane Center’s forecast track showed Beryl as a tropical storm near the Mexican coast on Saturday afternoon. Meteorologist Tawnya Evans from the National Weather Service field office in Corpus Christi, Texas, explained that many variables could change the storm’s direction. Windy conditions over the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico could prevent Beryl from maintaining its hurricane status. A high-pressure ridge over the Gulf could determine whether Beryl continues westward or shifts northward, potentially threatening the Gulf Coast.
Regardless of its strength or location, Beryl could bring increased showers, thunderstorms, swells, and rip currents to the Texas coast. The hurricane center expects Beryl to remain a hurricane as it reaches Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on Friday. The storm is likely to impact Puerto Rico, with large swells causing life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.
In Barbados, residents experienced intense winds and waves as Beryl approached. Abe and Kristin Homan, vacationers from South Carolina, described the scene as “pretty intense” with fierce winds uprooting trees and sending debris flying. The Barbados government has since discontinued the hurricane warning, and the Homans hope to return home by the Fourth of July.
Grenada authorities have urged residents to stay indoors and gather essential documents and necessities. Dr. Terence Walters, the national disaster coordinator for Grenada, advised residents to use good judgment before deciding to seek shelter. About 3,000 people were in shelters awaiting the storm.
In Barbados, Home Affairs and Information Minister Wilfred Abrahams advised residents to stay put until the all-clear is given. Power outages affected more than 35,000 homes and businesses, and a “drone team” was ready to survey the island for damage assessment.
Linda Dancer, a travel agent from North Carolina, hunkered down in St. Lucia, watching as resort staff prepared for the storm. She planned to stay in her room as the hurricane lashed the island, coordinating with clients whose vacations were interrupted.
Rapid intensification, a process where a storm undergoes accelerated growth, occurs when a tropical cyclone encounters an extremely conducive environment, including very warm water, low vertical wind shear, and high levels of midlevel moisture.
The Windward Islands, including Dominica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada, have been significantly impacted by Beryl. The storm’s rapid intensification and early arrival have set a concerning precedent for the rest of the hurricane season.
Source: USA TODAY, Associated Press, National Hurricane Center, Reuters
