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Hurricane Beryl Strengthens to Category 5, Heads Toward Jamaica After Leaving One Dead in Windward Islands

Hurricane Beryl has made history as the earliest Category 5 Atlantic hurricane on record, bringing devastation to the Windward Islands and setting a new standard for the Atlantic hurricane season.

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Nitish Verma
New Update
Hurricane

Hurricane Beryl has made history by becoming the earliest Category 5 Atlantic hurricane on record, bringing devastation to the Windward Islands and leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. The storm's intensity has also marked just the second time an Atlantic hurricane has reached Category 5 status in July, following Emily in 2005.

Beryl's maximum sustained winds have increased to near 160 mph, with higher gusts, making it the strongest known hurricane to pass through the Grenadines, according to data from NOAA that goes back to 1851. The storm made landfall shortly after 11:00 a.m. EDT on Grenada's Carriacou Island in the Caribbean Sea with max winds of 150 mph.

The impact of the storm has been severe, with widespread reports of destruction and devastation in Carriacou and Petite Martinique. Grenada Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell described the scene as "flattened" in just half an hour. At least one death has been reported in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and hundreds of homes and buildings have been damaged.

The storm has also knocked out power across the Windward Islands, with about 95% of the island of Grenada losing power due to Hurricane Beryl. Telecommunications across Grenada are down, and some individuals have lost internet service. All schools and businesses are closed, including the airport, with only hospitals and the national police force remaining operational.

Why it Matters: The arrival of Hurricane Beryl marks an exceptionally early start to the Atlantic hurricane season, and its unprecedented strength is a clear indicator that this hurricane season will be far from normal in a world warming due to fossil fuel pollution. The abnormally warm ocean waters that facilitated Beryl's alarming strengthening are a sign of the hyperactive hurricane season to come.

Hurricane expert Jim Kossin notes that the ocean heat fueling Beryl's unprecedented strengthening "certainly have a human fingerprint on them." The storm's rapid intensification is very atypical this early into hurricane season, according to National Hurricane Center Director Mike Brennan.

Beryl is expected to remain a major hurricane – Category 3 or stronger – into midweek before losing a bit of strength. The storm's center could pass just south of Jamaica on Wednesday and bring heavier impacts to the country even if it doesn't make landfall there.

Key Takeaways:

  • Hurricane Beryl is the earliest Category 5 Atlantic hurricane on record, with maximum sustained winds of near 160 mph.
  • The storm has brought devastation to the Windward Islands, with widespread reports of destruction and at least one death reported.
  • The abnormally warm ocean waters that facilitated Beryl's alarming strengthening are a sign of the hyperactive hurricane season to come.
  • The storm's rapid intensification is very atypical this early into hurricane season, according to National Hurricane Center Director Mike Brennan.
  • Hurricane Beryl's unprecedented strength is a clear indicator that this hurricane season will be far from normal in a world warming due to fossil fuel pollution.