SAN JUAN – Hurricane Beryl continues its track Tuesday across the central Caribbean Sea and is expected to bring life-threatening winds and storm surge to Jamaica on Wednesday.
It reached Category 5 strength late Monday and intensified further early Tuesday morning to 165 mph (270 kph) winds. After passing near Jamaica, Beryl will head toward the Cayman Islands Thursday and then Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula by late Thursday as a Category 1 storm.
As of the 11 p.m. Tuesday National Hurricane Center advisory, Beryl was about 300 miles east-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica and was moving west-northwest at 22 mph with 150 mph winds.
A Hurricane Warning is in effect for Jamaica while a Hurricane Watch is in effect for the south coast of Haiti from the border with the Dominican Republic to Anse d’Hainault, Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, Cayman Brac and the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula from Chetumal to Cabo Catoche. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the south coast of the Dominican Republic from Punta Palenque westward to the border with Haiti, and the south coast of Haiti from the border with the Dominican Republic to Anse d’Hainault while a Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for the coast of Belize from south of Chetumal to Belize City.
“Beryl is moving toward the west-northwest near 22 mph (35 km/h), and this general motion should continue through Wednesday, followed by a turn more toward the west Wednesday night or Thursday,” the NHC reported. “On the forecast track, the center of Beryl will move rapidly across the central Caribbean Sea tonight and is forecast to pass near or over Jamaica on Wednesday. The center is expected to pass near or over the Cayman Islands Wednesday night or early Thursday and approach the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico Thursday night.”
According to the NHC, Beryl is expected to weaken throughout Tuesday.
Beryl is forecast to be at or near major hurricane intensity while it passes near Jamaica on Wednesday and the Cayman Islands on Wednesday night,” the NHC reported. “Additional weakening is expected thereafter, though Beryl is forecast to remain a hurricane in the northwestern Caribbean.”
The last strong hurricane to hit the southeast Caribbean was Hurricane Ivan 20 years ago, which killed dozens of people in Grenada.
On Monday afternoon, officials received “reports of devastation” from Carriacou and surrounding islands, said Terence Walters, Grenada’s national disaster coordinator. itchell said he would travel to Carriacou as soon as it’s safe, noting there’s been an “extensive” storm surge.
Grenada officials had to evacuate patients to a lower floor after hospital roof was damaged, he said.
“There is the likelihood of even greater damage,” he told reporters. “We have no choice but to continue to pray.”
In Barbados, Wilfred Abrahams, minister of home affairs and information, said drones — which are faster than crews fanning across the island — would assess damage once Beryl passed.