Hurricane Beryl Threatens Jamaica with Life-Threatening Winds and Storm Surge

'Take the hurricane as a serious threat' — Jamaica's Prime Minister Andrew Holness

The core of Hurricane Beryl is expected to pass through Jamaica Wednesday, bringing life-threatening winds and a dangerous storm surge to the island.

• Source: National Hurricane Center (NHC)

As of Wednesday's 5 a.m. advisory, the NHC said:

"Beryl is forecast to be near or at major hurricane intensity as it passes through Jamaica and the Cayman Islands..."

Impact and Warnings

• Jamaica: Beryl's center is currently about 300 miles east-southeast of Kingston.
  • Dangerously high storm surges of 6-9 feet above normal tide levels are expected.
  • Winds are forecast to decrease as Beryl passes, but the danger remains high.
• Cayman Islands: Beryl is forecast to pass near or over the islands Wednesday night or early Thursday.
• Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico: Beryl is then expected to move over the peninsula early Friday.
• Haiti, Dominican Republic: Warnings and advisories are in place.

History and Outlook

Beryl made landfall in the Caribbean on Monday as a Cat 4 hurricane, causing deaths and destruction in Grenada, St. Vincent, and the Grenadines. It then strengthened over the Caribbean Sea, becoming the earliest Cat 5 hurricane on record.

While some weakening is expected, the NHC warns:

"...Beryl is forecast to remain a hurricane in the northwestern Caribbean."

Links:

• Hurricane Beryl Live Updates
• Beryl's Path: Record-Breaking Track
• Hurricane Beryl Spaghetti Models
• Atlantic Storm Tracker

Sources:

• Dinah Voyles Pulver, Thao Nguyen, Christopher Cann, Cybele Mayes-Osterman, and Jorge L. Ortiz of USA TODAY.
• @GabeHauari on Twitter, or email Gdhauari@gannett.com