Hurricane Beryl Tracker: Category 4 Storm Hits Jamaica as It Moves Through Caribbean

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.

India’s World Cup-winning team arrived home on Thursday morning on a special flight sent to evacuate players and officials.

The team has been stuck in Barbados due to Hurricane Beryl since Sunday.

The team, accompanied by their families, support staff, board officials and media representatives, returned on a special chartered flight of Air India.

However, despite the delay, enthusiastic fans stood at the airport to welcome the team and the T-20 World Cup.

UN officials in Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines are working closely with local leaders to assist with recovery efforts.

“So far, Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines have reported hundreds of people in shelters,” a UN spokesman said.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has asked the international community to “show solidarity” with all Caribbean countries in the path of Hurricane Beryl, his spokesman said.

The National Weather Service forecast indicates that Hurricane Beryl has the potential to hit South Texas Monday afternoon.

As experts work to more definitely chart Hurricane Beryl’s path, a Fox 35 Orlando meteorologist says Texans should be on high alert.

“There’s talk that we need to keep a close eye on the Texas coast to Louisiana for Hurricane Beryl,” Noah Bergen said Tuesday. X“I think the most likely path at the moment is going to be more in a further direction.” [southeast Texas] or [northeast Mexico]”But clearly there is a wide range of outcomes.”

Bergen said forecasters will have more clarity on Beryl’s path after it passes Jamaica. The National Weather Service said Beryl will hit the Cayman Islands overnight before hitting Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on Thursday.

Aid organizations are preparing to send disaster aid to Caribbean countries in the wake of Hurricane Beryl.

“A Category 4 hurricane presents major logistical challenges,” said Cora Nally, director of international emergency response for the nonprofit aid organization Americares.

“It will take a lot of coordination between aid organizations, local partners and governments to ensure that aid reaches those most in need,” Nally said in a statement. “Based on our previous experience with similar storms, we can anticipate that survivors will need help with mental health support and replacement of medications lost in the storm.”

Sophie Powell, head of advocacy for UK-based non-profit Christian Aid, highlighted the role the climate crisis played in the devastation caused by Hurricane Beryl.

“The people who are scavenging through the wreckage of such a devastating storm have done nothing to cause the climate crisis,” Powell said in a statement. “The carbon emissions from these small, low-lying islands are tiny, but the consequences of climate breakdown on their lives are enormous.

Higher water temperatures can contribute to sea level rise, harm marine life and fuel powerful storms like Hurricane Beryl. Ocean temperatures are likely to continue rising even if we succeed in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Island nations are on the front lines of the climate crisis, vulnerable to severe storms and sea level rise.

“These are the people who desperately need loss and damage financing to help them rebuild their lives and livelihoods,” Powell added. “You can’t just adapt to a Category 5 hurricane destroying your home or killing your family.”

In an update on Hurricane Beryl posted at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center noted that the storm had lost strength, with maximum sustained winds reaching 130 mph.

The center said Hurricane Beryl continued to move west across the Caribbean, after hitting Jamaica on Wednesday.

“A westward movement to the west-northwest is expected over the next couple of days, with Beryl’s core taking hold south of the Cayman Islands tonight and over the Yucatan Peninsula late Thursday night and Friday,” the update said.

Beryl is expected to emerge over the southwestern Gulf of Mexico Friday night and head northwest, possibly toward Texas.

The Category 4 storm is expected to weaken further over the next day or two, though Beryl is expected to reach major hurricane intensity or near it as it passes over the Cayman Islands, according to the center.