Hurricane Beryl charges toward Jamaica as record-breaking Category 5 after leaving Caribbean islands in ruins | CNN (2024)

Hurricane Beryl charges toward Jamaica as record-breaking Category 5 after leaving Caribbean islands in ruins | CNN (1)

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Hurricane Beryl makes landfall

02:16 - Source: CNN

CNN

Hurricane Beryl, now a potentially catastrophic Category 5 storm, has set its sights on Jamaica after leaving at least one person dead and inflicting ruin across entire islands in the Caribbean on Monday.

The storm is expected to bring life-threatening winds and storm surge to Jamaica on Wednesday and impact the Cayman Islands on Thursday, where a hurricane watch has been issued.

The storm continues to smash records as it kicks off an exceptionally early hurricane season as the earliest Category 5 hurricane – and only the second Atlantic storm of such strength to be recorded in July. Beryl alarming strengthening has been fed byabnormally warm ocean waters driven by planet-warming fossil fuel pollution.

It took onlyminutes for Beryl to tear through Grenada on Monday, blasting through buildings and knocking out power and phone service to almost all of the island’s residents, the governor’s office said.

“In half an hour, Carriacou was flattened,” Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell said Monday.

Hurricane Beryl charges toward Jamaica as record-breaking Category 5 after leaving Caribbean islands in ruins | CNN (2)

Fishing boats, damaged by Hurricane Beryl, are seen at the Bridgetown Fisheries in Barbados on Monday, July 1.

Hurricane Beryl charges toward Jamaica as record-breaking Category 5 after leaving Caribbean islands in ruins | CNN (3)

Pastor Winston Alleyne clears trees felled by Hurricane Beryl in St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Tuesday, July 2.

Hurricane Beryl charges toward Jamaica as record-breaking Category 5 after leaving Caribbean islands in ruins | CNN (4)

Sylvia Small waits to enter the Bridgetown Fisheries pier so she can check her boat's damage in Barbados on July 1.

Hurricane Beryl charges toward Jamaica as record-breaking Category 5 after leaving Caribbean islands in ruins | CNN (5)

NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick shared this photo of the hurricane as seen from space on July 1. In a post on X, Dominick said looking at the hurricane with the camera gave him "both an eerie feeling and a high level of weather nerd excitement."

Hurricane Beryl charges toward Jamaica as record-breaking Category 5 after leaving Caribbean islands in ruins | CNN (6)

A man clears water from a damaged restaurant in Hastings, Barbados, on July 1.

Members of Barbados' armed forces clear a street of sand in Oistins, Barbados, on July 1.

Hurricane Beryl charges toward Jamaica as record-breaking Category 5 after leaving Caribbean islands in ruins | CNN (8)

Brad Reinhart, senior hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, tracks Hurricane Beryl on July 1.

Hurricane Beryl charges toward Jamaica as record-breaking Category 5 after leaving Caribbean islands in ruins | CNN (9)

Waves crash into a pier in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, as Beryl passes through the region on July 1.

Hurricane Beryl charges toward Jamaica as record-breaking Category 5 after leaving Caribbean islands in ruins | CNN (10)

Donna Charles, a hotel cook, watches as Hurricane Beryl passes through Bridgetown, Barbados, on July 1.

Hurricane Beryl charges toward Jamaica as record-breaking Category 5 after leaving Caribbean islands in ruins | CNN (11)

People in Kingston, Jamaica, wait in line with groceries as Beryl approached on July 1.

Hurricane Beryl charges toward Jamaica as record-breaking Category 5 after leaving Caribbean islands in ruins | CNN (12)

A man boards up a shop window in Bridgetown, Barbados, on Sunday, June 30.

In pictures: Record-breaking Hurricane Beryl

A path of “immense destruction, pain (and) suffering” was torn through the neighboring nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, where at least one person has been reported dead, said Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves. Parts of the islands, including hospitals, have no electricity and others are without water.

About 90% of the homes on the nation’s Union Island are damaged or destroyed, Gonsalves said. Hundreds more homes and several schools, churches and government buildings in St. Vincent also sustained severe damage.

“Tomorrow we get up with our commitment and conviction to rebuild our lives and our families’ lives,” Gonsalves said Monday night.

Though Beryl is likely to fluctuate in strength in the coming days, it is expected to remain an “extremely dangerous major hurricane” – Category 3 or stronger – through mid-week, the hurricane center said.

The hurricane will continue packing strong winds, torrential rain and hazardous seas extending well beyond its center over much of the Caribbean. Even if Beryl doesn’t make landfall in Jamaica, its outer bands will bring significant impacts.

Satellite imagery shows Hurricane Beryl make landfall on Carriacou Island Monday morning.

The latest on Beryl

• Jamaica braces for severe impacts: A hurricane warning is in place for Jamaica, where hurricane conditions will impact the island on Wednesday. Tropical storm-force winds are expected earlier in the day on Wednesday. Storm surge could raise water levels by as much as 3 to 5 feet above normal tide levels and rainfall of 4 to 8 inches with isolated totals up to 12 inches is forecast.

• Dominican Republic and Haiti under storm warnings: The southern coasts of Haiti and Dominican Republic remain under tropical storm warnings, with tropical storm conditions beginning Tuesday. Storm surge up to 3 feet is possible, and rainfall totals could reach 6 inches.

• Extended state of emergency in Grenada: The order has been extended until July 7 due to the severe damage wrought by the storm, said Neila K. Ettienne, spokesperson for the prime minister’s office. About 95% of the island of Grenada has lost power, she said. Telecommunications are also down and some individuals have lost internet service.

• St. Vincent and Grenadines rush to restore power: Local authorities are “working feverishly, urgently and with great focus to get electricity in certain places tonight,” Prime Minister Gonsalves said Monday. Many trees have collapsed on power lines. Even so, government buildings will reopen Tuesday and the prime minister urged business owners to open, if possible.

Hurricane Beryl charges toward Jamaica as record-breaking Category 5 after leaving Caribbean islands in ruins | CNN (13)

Damaged fishing boats rest on the shore after the passing of Hurricane Beryl at the Bridgetown Fish Market, Bridgetown, Barbados on July 1.

Huge blow to Barbados fishing industry: Though Barbados was spared from the brunt of the storm, large storm surge damaged numerous fishing vessels – a massive loss to the nation’s fishing industry. At least 20 vessels have sunken, Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley said Monday. Some fishermen at the Bridgetown Fisheries Complex watched helplessly as violent waves slammed boats into each other or pulled them underwater, CNN affiliate CBC reports. “There’s nothing more we can do than stand and watch total destruction – our livelihood gone down the drain,” one resident told CBC.

Cricket team and fans stranded: Some cricket fans who had traveled to Barbados for the T20 World Cup – and even the winning Indian team itself – have been unable to leave the island as Hurricane Beryl forced the Grantley Adams International Airport to suspend operations. But the Indian team is likely to make its way home Tuesday after the airport’s planned reopening, Mottley said.

Kicking off a far from normal hurricane season

Beryl has shattered numerous records and is a troubling indicator that this season will be far from normal in a world warming due to fossil fuel pollution. On Sunday it became the earliestmajor hurricane – defined as one that is Category 3 or higher – in the Atlantic in 58 years and the only one to reach Category 4 status in the month of June.

It is also the strongest known hurricane to pass through the southern Windward Islands, which lie at the eastern edge of the Caribbean Sea, according to data from NOAA that goes back to 1851.

The hurricane was able to churn to life because the ocean is as warm now as it would normally be at the peak of hurricane season, said Jim Kossin, a hurricane expert and science advisor at nonprofit First Street Foundation.

“Hurricanes don’t know what month it is, they only know what their ambient environment is,” Kossin told CNN. “Beryl is breaking records for the month of June because Beryl thinks it’s September.”

The ocean warm ocean temperatures fueling Beryl’s unprecedented strengthening “certainly have a human fingerprint on them,” Kossin said.

CNN’s Monica Garrett, Abel Alvarado, Brandon Miller, Sahar Akbarzai, Mary Gilbert, Hira Humayun, Robert Shackelford, Isaac Yee, Duarte Mendonca and Manveena Suricontributed to this report.

Hurricane Beryl charges toward Jamaica as record-breaking Category 5 after leaving Caribbean islands in ruins | CNN (2024)

FAQs

Hurricane Beryl charges toward Jamaica as record-breaking Category 5 after leaving Caribbean islands in ruins | CNN? ›

Last week, Beryl hammered several Caribbean islands and became the earliest Category 5 hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic. A Category 5 — the highest on the Saffir-Simpson scale — has sustained winds of 157 mph or greater.

How much damage did Beryl do to Jamaica? ›

KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Jamaicans will contend with food shortages in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl, which is estimated to have destroyed over $6.4 million in food crops and supporting infrastructure, officials in Jamaica said on Monday.

Did Hurricane Beryl break a record? ›

The storm broke three records. The first Category 4 hurricane in June ever recorded, and the earliest Category 4 hurricane ever recorded.It strengthened into the earliest Category five hurricane on record, all while being out in the Atlantic. It produced the most tornado warnings in a single July day.

Will Jamaica be affected by Beryl? ›

Hurricane Beryl made landfall in the Caribbean region, bringing winds of 140 to 160 mph, and becoming the 2024 Atlantic season's first hurricane and the earliest storm on record to reach the strongest possible ranking of Category 5 in Jamaica.

What category was Hurricane Beryl in the Caribbean? ›

It made a direct hit on Grenada and had major impacts on St Vincent and Grenadines - small islands with little experience in coping with a category 4 hurricane. At its peak, Beryl was a top-ranked Category 5 on the Saffir Simpson scale.

How badly was Jamaica damaged by Beryl? ›

Powerful Hurricane Beryl has hit Jamaica with heavy winds and rain, damaging buildings and felling trees on the Caribbean island. The category four storm brought winds of up to 130mph (215km/h) on Jamaica's southern coast. Social media photos show floodwater pouring down streets, with roofs ripped off by the wind.

Has Beryl passed Jamaica? ›

Jamaica narrowly misses landfall, but still pelted by powerful winds. After blasting the Windward Islands at the start of the week and becoming the earliest Category 5 on record, Beryl swiped Jamaica on Wednesday. The eye of the hurricane came within miles of the coast of Jamaica but never officially made landfall.

Was Hurricane Beryl ever a category 5? ›

On July 1, Beryl set another record when it reached Category 5 in record time — this is a storm system with sustained wind speeds of more than 160 mph.

Is Hurricane Beryl a Category 5 storm tears through the Caribbean? ›

Hurricane Beryl becomes a Category 5 storm

Beryl ripped off doors, windows and roofs in homes across the southeastern Caribbean on Monday after making landfall on the island of Carriacou in Grenada.

When did Hurricane Beryl hit Jamaica? ›

Hurricane Beryl, the earliest Atlantic hurricane to reach Category 5 strength, cut a deadly path through the Caribbean, making landfall in the south of Jamaica as a Category 4 storm on July 3.

Where in Jamaica will Beryl hit? ›

Jamaica's southern coast, where Kingston is located, was expected to bear the brunt of Beryl with coastal water levels rising to 6 or 9 feet (1.8 to 2.7 meters) above normal tide levels in some area.

How did Jamaica fare with Hurricane Beryl? ›

Residents of Jamaica hunkered down as heavy rains and punishing winds from Hurricane Beryl pounded the island. The center of the Category 4 storm passed just south of Jamaica Wednesday afternoon. At least six deaths have been attributed to Beryl since it began its march through the Caribbean earlier this week.

What was the path of Hurricane Beryl in 2024? ›

Beryl quickly strengthened to a major hurricane, making landfall on the island of Carriacou in Grenada as a high-end Category 4 on July 1st, and later strengthened to a category 5 in the Eastern Caribbean Sea. Weakening only very little, Beryl passed just south of Jamaca as a category 4 hurricane on July 3rd.

When was the last Cat 5 hurricane? ›

Systems
NameCategory 5 intensityPeak intensity
DatesWind speed
MariaSeptember 18–20, 2017175 mph (280 km/h)
MichaelOctober 10, 2018160 mph (260 km/h)
DorianSeptember 1–2, 2019185 mph (295 km/h)
38 more rows

Did Hurricane Beryl head toward Jamaica as a Category 4 storm? ›

ST. GEORGE'S, Grenada (AP) — Hurricane Beryl roared through open waters Tuesday as a powerful Category 4 storm heading toward Jamaica after earlier making landfall in the southeast Caribbean, killing at least six people.

How much damage did Beryl do? ›

The big picture: AccuWeather's preliminary estimate for the total damage and economic loss from Beryl is $28 billion to $32 billion nationwide, including damage to homes, infrastructure, job and wage losses, and government cleanup expenses.

Did Beryl hit Montego Bay? ›

We are now seeing footage of the damage caused by Hurricane Beryl in Montego Bay, Jamaica, when Beryl struck the island as a Category 4 hurricane.

What was the damage of Hurricane Beryl? ›

Hurricane Beryl
Meteorological history
Lowest pressure934 mbar (hPa); 27.58 inHg
Overall effects
Fatalities70 total
Damage>$6.86 billion (2024 USD)
11 more rows

What was the worst hurricane to hit Jamaica? ›

September 12, 1988 – Hurricane Gilbert was the strongest tropical cyclone on record to make landfall in Jamaica, impacting as a high-end Category 3 hurricane.

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