Hurricane Beryl, which has wreaked havoc across Jamaica with damaging winds and heavy rain, left at least 11 people dead across the region. Now, the storm maintains its strength as it barrels past the Cayman Islands and heads toward Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.
According to the National Hurricane Center’s 11 a.m. update, the center of Beryl is expected to move past the Cayman Islands on Thursday afternoon, bringing “strong winds, dangerous storm surge, and damaging waves” to the Yucatan Peninsula’s coast early Friday. The hurricane, downgraded to a Category 3 early Thursday, had winds of 115 mph when it was about 95 miles west-southwest of Grand Cayman.
The Cayman Islands can expect up to six inches of rain on Thursday, while the Yucatan Peninsula could see up to 10 inches, potentially causing flash flooding.
Storm surge warnings indicate water levels could rise by 2 to 4 feet along the Cayman Islands’ immediate coast and 3 to 5 feet on the Yucatan’s east coast, accompanied by “large and destructive waves.” Weather officials caution that Beryl will likely bring life-threatening surf and rip currents to the coasts of Jamaica, Cuba, and the Cayman Islands, with these dangers spreading to the Yucatan Peninsula and parts of Central America by Thursday and then to eastern Mexico and the U.S. Gulf Coast by late Friday.
As hurricane conditions subside in the Cayman Islands, tropical storm-strength winds are expected in the Yucatan Peninsula on Thursday. This will make outdoor preparations hazardous ahead of the storm’s anticipated arrival later in the day or by early Friday.
A hurricane warning is in effect for the Cayman Islands and the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula from Puerto Costa Maya to Cancun, including Cozumel. While Beryl is forecasted to weaken over the next two days, it is still projected to be near hurricane intensity when passing by the Cayman Islands on Thursday and heading toward the Yucatan Peninsula later in the day.
Effect on other Caribbean nations
Jamaica experienced widespread power outages after Beryl brushed the island’s southern coast on Wednesday as a Category 4 storm. The hurricane’s destructive winds and rain have left a trail of devastation.
Officials confirmed that nine people were killed in Grenada, Venezuela, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, according to Reuters. Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness told CNN on Thursday that two deaths have been registered in Jamaica due to Hurricane Beryl.
A hurricane watch and tropical storm warning remain in effect for parts of the Yucatan Peninsula’s coast. Mexico’s government upgraded its tropical storm watch to a tropical storm warning from Progreso to Campeche. Additionally, a tropical storm watch is in effect for a significant portion of Belize’s coast.
