At 10:00 a.m. on Monday, the government of Jamaica issued a Hurricane Watch for the island as Hurricane Beryl, the first hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic season, entered the eastern Caribbean.
The island’s Hurricane Watch means that conditions associated with a hurricane are possible within 48 hours. Hurricane Beryl, now Category 4, is likely to weaken when it impacts the island on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness has urged Jamaican fishers, especially those along the south coast, to evacuate immediately.
#PressRelease: Fishers in Jamaica’s waters advised to evacuate immediately as dangerous Hurricane Beryl prepares to enter the eastern Caribbean. pic.twitter.com/zjszVnnpP8
— Andrew Holness (@AndrewHolnessJM) July 1, 2024
Hurricane Berly impact on Caribbean islands
On Monday, Hurricane Berly made landfall on Carriacou Island in the Grenadines, packing maximum sustained winds of 150 mph. It is the strongest known hurricane to pass through this region.
The hurricane’s destructive path extended from Trinidad and Tobago northward through St. Lucia and into Martinique, with its center barreling toward the region on Monday morning. Grenada and the Grenadines face the greatest risk of being struck by the storm’s core.
The hurricane’s powerful winds and torrential rain triggered power outages, flooded streets, and caused storm surge flooding in parts of the Grenadines, Grenada, Barbados, and Tobago, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Airports in Barbados, Grenada, and Saint Lucia were closed Sunday night as Berly approached. Grenada’s Maurice Bishop International Airport is expected to reopen Tuesday morning, a spokesperson said. The Grantley Adams International Airport in Barbados and St. Lucia’s Hewanorra International and George Charles airports have also halted operations.
Grenadian Governor General Cecile La Grenade declared a state of emergency, which will remain in effect until Tuesday morning. All businesses must close except for essential services such as the police force, hospitals, prisons, waste disposal, and ports.
“I want everybody in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to take this matter very seriously,” Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said. “There are some persons who are hoping for the best, and we must all do that, but we all have to prepare for the worst.”
Berly’s arrival marks an exceptionally early start to the Atlantic hurricane season. On Sunday, it became the earliest Category 4 hurricane on record in the Atlantic Ocean and the only Category 4 hurricane ever recorded in June.
The exceptionally warm ocean waters that fueled Berly’s rapid intensification are a clear indicator that this hurricane season will be far from normal, exacerbated by the ongoing effects of fossil fuel pollution and global warming.
Read: High wind advisory in effect for several Caribbean islands
