Hurricane Beryl makes landfall in Grenada as a Category 4 storm with 150 mph winds

Hurricane Beryl struck the southeastern Caribbean on Monday, bringing “life-threatening winds and dangerous storm surge” to the southern Windward Islands, which include Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Martinique.

The extremely dangerous Category 4 storm made landfall on the island of Carriacou in Grenada on Monday with winds of 150 miles per hour.

“Residents of Grenada, the Grenadines and Carriacou Island should not leave their shelters as winds will rapidly intensify in the eye of Beryl,” the National Hurricane Center warned Monday afternoon. “Remain in place during these life-threatening conditions and do not venture into the eye of the storm.”

Maximum precipitation of up to 10 inches is possible in The Grenadines and up to 6 inches in Barbados. Hurricane warnings were in effect for Barbados, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada and Tobago. A hurricane watch was issued for Jamaica.

A potentially life-threatening storm surge could raise water levels 7 to 9 feet (2.7 to 2.7 meters) near where Beryl’s center makes landfall in the hurricane warning area, according to the NHC. Large, damaging waves are possible near the coast.

Grenada Prime Minister Dickon Mitchel said there had already been reports of “significant storm surge”, damage to buildings and loss of power in the country.

“And it’s likely that the damage will be even greater,” Mitchell said, adding that no casualties or injuries had been reported.

Beryl is the earliest Category 4 hurricane on record to form in June. It is also the earliest Category 4 hurricane on record for the Atlantic hurricane season, breaking the previous record set by Hurricane Dennis, which formed on July 8, 2005.

Videos shared by UNICEF in the Eastern Caribbean show storm surge on the southern coast of Barbados and high winds in Saint Lucia. The U.S. Embassy in Barbados reported power outages and flooding in some areas.

Beryl is currently located about 35 miles northeast of Grenada, the center said. now has maximum sustained winds of 140 miles per hour and is moving west at 20 miles per hour.

Beryl gained strength last week, going from a tropical depression to a Category 3 hurricane in 42 hours. It became a Category 4 hurricane in 48 hours. According to ClimateCentral.org, hurricanes are getting stronger at a faster rate due to warmer waters brought on by climate change.

Beryl will continue to move westward across the southeastern and central Caribbean Sea through at least Wednesday, the agency added.

“Potentially catastrophic wind damage is expected where Beryl’s core moves,” he said.

The hurricane’s winds extended 35 miles (56 km) from the center, while the tropical storm’s winds could extend up to 115 miles (185 km). Barbados’ Grantley Adams International Airport recorded gusts of up to 45 mph (72 km/h), he added.

Beryl became an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm as it approached the islands early Sunday before stabilizing slightly. Although winds decreased slightly overnight, the center said “the area of ​​strongest winds has expanded, so the hurricane hazards are likely to affect a broader area.”

In Barbados, authorities began opening emergency shelters Sunday night, ordering all businesses to close by 7 p.m. Its water authority also urged people to stockpile drinking water as water mains would be shut off as a precaution.

Thousands of people flocked to the Caribbean island to watch the Twenty20 Cricket World Cup final this weekend. But worsening weather conditions prevented many, including the victorious Indian team, from leaving.

“Some of them have never been through a storm before,” Prime Minister Mia Mottley said, according to the Associated Press.

On Monday morning, the country’s meteorological department said it had recorded gusts of up to 103 km/h. Maritime conditions “continue to deteriorate,” it said in an advisory, adding that Beryl’s centre was expected to move about 130 km south of the island.

U.S. forecasters added that while Beryl is expected to move further west, “it is too early to discuss what might happen to Beryl if it reaches the Gulf of Mexico.”

The hurricane is expected to remain in the Caribbean Sea for the remainder of the week before making landfall on the Yucatan Peninsula as a Category 2 storm. It is expected to weaken to a tropical storm as it moves toward the southwestern Gulf of Mexico.