Bridgetown: Hurricane beryl Doors, windows and roofs of houses were ripped off in the south-eastern region Caribbean After making landfall on Carriacou Island on Monday, it was the first Category 4 hurricane to form in the Atlantic Ocean thanks to record warm waters.
There were no immediate reports of possible deaths or injuries, and communications were largely down across the region.
Roads from the island of St. Lucia to Grenada were littered with shoes, trees, downed power lines and other debris strewn by winds of up to 150 mph (240 kph), just short of a Category 5 hurricane. The storm snapped banana trees in half and killed cows sleeping in green pastures, while houses made of tin and plywood tilted dangerously nearby.
“Right now, I’m just really sad,” Wichel Clarke King said as he inspected his damaged shop in the Barbadian capital, Bridgetown, which was filled with sand and water. Beryl was still drifting over the southeastern Caribbean on Monday afternoon, even as it began moving across the Caribbean Sea on a path that would take it just south of Jamaica and toward Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula as a Category 1 hurricane by late Thursday night.
Beryl’s winds increased to 155 mph (250 kph) late Monday night, putting it on the verge of becoming a Category 5 hurricane.
Beryl was located about 575 miles (925 kilometers) east-southeast of Isla Beata, Dominican Republic and was moving west-northwest at 21 mph (33 kph), which could bring hurricane conditions to Jamaica on Wednesday.
A hurricane warning has been issued for Jamaica, and a tropical storm warning has been issued for the entire southern coast of Hispaniola. Hispaniola is an island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
“Beryl is expected to remain an extremely dangerous major hurricane as it moves into the eastern Caribbean,” the National Hurricane Center said.
The last powerful hurricane to hit the southeastern Caribbean was Hurricane Ivan 20 years ago, which killed dozens of people in Grenada.
Grenada’s national disaster coordinator, Terence Walters, said authorities received “reports of devastation” from Carriacou and surrounding islands on Monday afternoon. Prime Minister Dickan Mitchell said he would travel to Carriacou as soon as it was safe because of “extensive” storm surges.
He said Grenada authorities had to move patients to lower floors after the hospital’s roof was damaged.
“There is a possibility of even more damage. We have no option but to continue praying,” he told reporters.
In BarbadosHome Affairs and Information Minister Wilfred Abrahams said the drones – which are faster than those flying on the island – would assess the damage after Beryl passes.
Historic Hurricane Beryl strengthened from a tropical depression to a major hurricane in just 42 hours — a feat accomplished only six times in Atlantic hurricane history, and the earliest date is Sept. 1, according to hurricane expert Sam Lillo.
It was also the earliest Category 4 Atlantic hurricane ever recorded, surpassing Hurricane Dennis, which became a Category 4 hurricane on July 8, 2005.
Hurricane expert and storm surge specialist Michael Lowry said Beryl gathered its strength from record-warm waters, which are warmer now than they were during the peak of hurricane season in September.
Beryl also set a record for the farthest east a hurricane formed in the tropical Atlantic in June, breaking a record set in 1933, according to Colorado State University hurricane researcher Philip Klotzbach.
Beryl formed a new center on Sunday night, which typically weakens a storm slightly as it moves into the region. Experts say it is now strengthening again.
Jaswinderpal Parmar, a Fresno, California resident who was among thousands who travelled to Barbados to watch the Twenty20 World Cup cricket final on Saturday, said he and his family were stuck there along with other fans after their flights were cancelled on Sunday.
He said over the phone that this is the first time he has experienced a storm — he and his family have been praying, while also speaking by phone with worried friends and family members from as far away as India.
“We couldn’t sleep last night,” said Parmar, 47.
Looking ahead, as Beryl headed toward the southeastern Caribbean, government officials warned of a cluster of storms mimicking the hurricane’s path, which had a 70% chance of becoming a tropical depression.
“There’s always concern when two storms hit in a row,” Lowry said. “If two storms pass through the same area or nearby, the first storm weakens the infrastructure, so the secondary system doesn’t need to be as strong to have a serious impact.”
Beryl is the second named storm in the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. Earlier this month, Tropical Storm Alberto made landfall in northeastern Mexico and killed four people.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The 2024 hurricane season is predicted to be above average, with 17 to 25 named storms. The forecast calls for 13 hurricanes and four major hurricanes.
An average Atlantic hurricane season features 14 named storms, of which seven are hurricanes and three are major hurricanes.
There were no immediate reports of possible deaths or injuries, and communications were largely down across the region.
Roads from the island of St. Lucia to Grenada were littered with shoes, trees, downed power lines and other debris strewn by winds of up to 150 mph (240 kph), just short of a Category 5 hurricane. The storm snapped banana trees in half and killed cows sleeping in green pastures, while houses made of tin and plywood tilted dangerously nearby.
“Right now, I’m just really sad,” Wichel Clarke King said as he inspected his damaged shop in the Barbadian capital, Bridgetown, which was filled with sand and water. Beryl was still drifting over the southeastern Caribbean on Monday afternoon, even as it began moving across the Caribbean Sea on a path that would take it just south of Jamaica and toward Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula as a Category 1 hurricane by late Thursday night.
Beryl’s winds increased to 155 mph (250 kph) late Monday night, putting it on the verge of becoming a Category 5 hurricane.
Beryl was located about 575 miles (925 kilometers) east-southeast of Isla Beata, Dominican Republic and was moving west-northwest at 21 mph (33 kph), which could bring hurricane conditions to Jamaica on Wednesday.
A hurricane warning has been issued for Jamaica, and a tropical storm warning has been issued for the entire southern coast of Hispaniola. Hispaniola is an island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
“Beryl is expected to remain an extremely dangerous major hurricane as it moves into the eastern Caribbean,” the National Hurricane Center said.
The last powerful hurricane to hit the southeastern Caribbean was Hurricane Ivan 20 years ago, which killed dozens of people in Grenada.
Grenada’s national disaster coordinator, Terence Walters, said authorities received “reports of devastation” from Carriacou and surrounding islands on Monday afternoon. Prime Minister Dickan Mitchell said he would travel to Carriacou as soon as it was safe because of “extensive” storm surges.
He said Grenada authorities had to move patients to lower floors after the hospital’s roof was damaged.
“There is a possibility of even more damage. We have no option but to continue praying,” he told reporters.
In BarbadosHome Affairs and Information Minister Wilfred Abrahams said the drones – which are faster than those flying on the island – would assess the damage after Beryl passes.
Historic Hurricane Beryl strengthened from a tropical depression to a major hurricane in just 42 hours — a feat accomplished only six times in Atlantic hurricane history, and the earliest date is Sept. 1, according to hurricane expert Sam Lillo.
It was also the earliest Category 4 Atlantic hurricane ever recorded, surpassing Hurricane Dennis, which became a Category 4 hurricane on July 8, 2005.
Hurricane expert and storm surge specialist Michael Lowry said Beryl gathered its strength from record-warm waters, which are warmer now than they were during the peak of hurricane season in September.
Beryl also set a record for the farthest east a hurricane formed in the tropical Atlantic in June, breaking a record set in 1933, according to Colorado State University hurricane researcher Philip Klotzbach.
Beryl formed a new center on Sunday night, which typically weakens a storm slightly as it moves into the region. Experts say it is now strengthening again.
Jaswinderpal Parmar, a Fresno, California resident who was among thousands who travelled to Barbados to watch the Twenty20 World Cup cricket final on Saturday, said he and his family were stuck there along with other fans after their flights were cancelled on Sunday.
He said over the phone that this is the first time he has experienced a storm — he and his family have been praying, while also speaking by phone with worried friends and family members from as far away as India.
“We couldn’t sleep last night,” said Parmar, 47.
Looking ahead, as Beryl headed toward the southeastern Caribbean, government officials warned of a cluster of storms mimicking the hurricane’s path, which had a 70% chance of becoming a tropical depression.
“There’s always concern when two storms hit in a row,” Lowry said. “If two storms pass through the same area or nearby, the first storm weakens the infrastructure, so the secondary system doesn’t need to be as strong to have a serious impact.”
Beryl is the second named storm in the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. Earlier this month, Tropical Storm Alberto made landfall in northeastern Mexico and killed four people.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The 2024 hurricane season is predicted to be above average, with 17 to 25 named storms. The forecast calls for 13 hurricanes and four major hurricanes.
An average Atlantic hurricane season features 14 named storms, of which seven are hurricanes and three are major hurricanes.
