Hurricane Beryl Escalates to Category 5 in the Eastern Caribbean Sea

Hurricane Beryl. Photo: X/ @CarlosBarrazaE

July 2, 2024 Hour: 8:36 am

This year, the Atlantic is expected to have a well-above-average hurricane season, with the possibility of up to 13 hurricanes.

On Monday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) announced that Hurricane Beryl has escalated to Category 5 in the eastern Caribbean Sea. Beryl is expected to bring life-threatening winds and storm surges to Jamaica later this week.

Dickon Mitchell, the prime minister of Grenada, confirmed that Beryl struck the country, causing “significant damage” in the islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique, where the eye of the Category 4 hurricane entered, with maximum sustained winds of 240 kilometers per hour (150 mph).

U.S. President Joe Biden stated that his administration is ready to assist Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands and ensure the safety of all U.S. citizens. He also explained that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have resources and supplies ready to assist the region.

On Tuesday morning, the eye of Hurricane Beryl had already been located south of the Mona Channel, which separates the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico and connects the Caribbean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean.

L'ouragan #Béryl poursuit sa course destructrice dans les îles des Caraïbes. En quelques heures, il est passé de catégorie 1 à 5. Doublement inhabituel dans l'Atlantique, relèvent les experts. La saison des ouragans débute habituellement en septembre. pic.twitter.com/dvCMfdRbhm
— TV5MONDE Info (@TV5MONDEINFO) July 2, 2024

The text reads, “Hurricane Beryl continues its destructive path through the Caribbean islands. In a few hours, it went from category 1 to 5. Something doubly unusual in the Atlantic, experts point out. The hurricane season usually begins in September.”

“It was moving towards the west-northwest at 35 km/h: during the early morning it strengthened further by reaching maximum sustained winds of 270 km/h and isolated gusts of up to 305 km/h,” journalist Jean Suriel reported.

In the Atlantic hurricane season, which began on June 1, three tropical storms have formed so far: Alberto, Beryl, and Chris. On Sunday, Chris formed in the Gulf of Mexico and made landfall at night in the town of Lechuguillas, in the southern Mexican state of Veracruz.

This year, the Atlantic is expected to have a well-above-average hurricane season, with the possibility of up to 13 hurricanes, of which up to seven could be major hurricanes, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

#FromTheSouth News Bits | Barbados: Prime Minister Mia Mottley has advised that all non-essential businesses close by 8:30 P.M. on Sunday as the island prepares for the passage of Hurricane Beryl. pic.twitter.com/fnGX0bVra8
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) July 1, 2024