Beryl has strengthened to a “potentially catastrophic” Category 5 storm, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) says as the tropical cyclone continues to batter the Caribbean.
“Beryl is now a potentially catastrophic Category 5 hurricane. Fluctuations in intensity are likely, but it is still forecast to be close to that major intensity” when it moves toward Jamaica today (Tuesday), the NHC said in a statement.
Yesterday, the hurricane hit the coasts of Barbados, the island of Carriacou in Grenada, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. According to a
U.S. National Hurricane Center Bulletin Extreme weather event to move across Caribbean with potential for major destruction.
This is the first time in history that a hurricane has hit this area in the month of June. Such a powerful storm at the start of the hurricane season, which in the Atlantic runs from early June to late November, is in fact considered extremely rare. All the Caribbean islands have been on alert since the weekend, when Beryl went from tropical storm to Category 4 hurricane (out of a total of 5).
Winds of over 100 kilometers per hour and torrential rains are forecast to also hit Dominica and the islands of Martinique and Tobago, before reaching the southeastern coast of Mexico where it is expected to arrive already downgraded to a tropical storm. Local governments have issued a hurricane warning and urged people to seek safe shelter.
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