Hurricane Beryl Live Updates: Storm Hits Jamaica Before Heading for Cayman Islands

The National Hurricane Center said in its latest update that Hurricane Beryl has weakened to a Category 3 storm, but it still packs sustained winds of 125 mph (205 kph).

Strong winds, dangerous storm surges and damaging waves are expected in the Cayman Islands overnight.

As of 2 a.m. EDT, the center of Hurricane Beryl was located by radar imagery from the U.S. Air Force Hurricane Observatory and Grand Cayman Island near latitude 18.3 north and longitude 80.1 west – about 110 miles (175 km) southeast of Grand Cayman.

The core of Tropical Storm Beryl will move south of the Cayman Islands overnight and then over the Yucatan Peninsula early Friday.

The hurricane is expected to emerge over the southwestern Gulf of Mexico Friday night and head northwest.

“The hurricane has come and gone, leaving behind a trail of destruction,” said St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves.

In Grenada, Prime Minister Deacon Mitchell said they would have to “rebuild from the ground up” after visiting the islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique, which were hit hardest by Hurricane Beryl.

“Power was cut off and homes and buildings on the island were almost completely destroyed. Roads were impassable and in many cases, roads were cut off due to the large amounts of debris strewn all over the streets.”

Beryl is the oldest Category 5 storm on record, and it occurred at a time when the Atlantic Ocean was already warming due to global warming, approaching levels we typically see in the peak season in September.

This has raised concerns about what the rest of the Atlantic hurricane season might look like.

“It’s really scary,” Steve Maxima, a climate and agriculture expert in Grenada, told The Independent.

“When we talk about Category 4 and 5, there are very few systems or protocols that can prepare you for that. You can build resilient buildings but Category 5 winds can move concrete structures.”

Hurricane Beryl is expected to hit Mexico twice in a rare event, the head of Mexico’s civil defense agency said.

Late Wednesday night, the storm’s center was about 500 miles (800 kilometers) east-southeast of Tulum, Mexico.

Maximum sustained winds were 130 mph (215 km/h) and it was moving west-northwest at 21 mph (32 km/h). Hurricane-force winds extended 45 miles from the center.

Laura Velasquez said the hurricane was expected to hit a relatively unpopulated area on the Caribbean coast between Tulum and the inland city of Felipe Carrillo Puerto.

Since the coast there is largely made up of lagoons and mangroves, there are few resorts or hotels in the area south of Tulum.

Mexican government officials on Wednesday removed sea turtle eggs from Cancun beaches in an effort to protect them from storms.

The hurricane is expected to weaken to a tropical storm as it crosses the Yucatan Peninsula, then reemerge at storm force in the Gulf of Mexico over the weekend.

Velasquez said Beryl is expected to make a second impact on Mexican territory in the Gulf of Mexico states of Veracruz or Tamaulipas, near the Texas border.

Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness has announced that a curfew imposed on the island nation will be extended until Thursday morning amid continued severe weather conditions.

The storm caused flooding, mudslides, and uprooted trees and power poles, cutting off communications to many towns.

The Jamaica Gleaner newspaper reported, citing a public utility company, that more than 400,000 people were without power.

“After reviewing the current situation, it has been assessed that the ongoing weather conditions, in addition to considerations for public safety, public order and the protection of property, justify the announcement of a new curfew,” Mr Holness wrote on the X website.

The curfew came into effect at 11:00 p.m. Wednesday (4:00 a.m. GMT Thursday) and will last all night until 6:00 a.m. (11:00 a.m. GMT) on Thursday.

“This storm will pass, and we will recover,” Mr. Holness wrote.

Strong winds, rain and life-threatening storm surges from Hurricane Beryl continued to batter Jamaica Wednesday evening local time as the storm continued to head west, targeting the Cayman Islands.

The Jamaican government said many roads in the country’s interior were affected by fallen trees and utility poles, while some communities in the northern section and the capital remained without power.

Hurricane Beryl is expected to weaken slightly over the next couple of days, but will remain at or near major hurricane strength when it passes near the Cayman Islands Thursday morning and reaches Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula late Thursday or Friday, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center.

The storm still had maximum sustained winds of 130 mph (215 kph), making it a Category 4 storm, and was moving west-northwest at 21 mph (32 kph). Hurricane-force winds extended 45 miles from the center.

Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley said Hurricane Beryl had devastated the country after it swept through with force on Monday.

“Although Barbados escaped the worst of Hurricane Beryl, the damage it left behind is still staggering,” Motley wrote on X.

“Today I toured some of the hardest-hit areas to assess the damage, engage with those most affected, and chart a path forward for how we can rebuild stronger and more resilient,” she added.