Hurricane Beryl intensified to a Category 2 storm as it approached Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula, bringing winds up to 110 mph (175 kph).
The U.S. National Hurricane Center issued warnings of a dangerous storm surge and damaging waves, prompting red alerts in Mexico’s top tourist destinations following its destructive path through the Caribbean islands.
Hurricane Beryl, an unusually early and intense storm, was nearing landfall approximately 40 miles (65 km) east of Tulum, Mexico.
The National Hurricane Center reported hurricane conditions developing in the Yucatan Peninsula.
A hurricane warning extended along the Yucatan coast from Puerto Costa Maya to Cancun, including Cozumel. Mexico’s civil protection agency issued a “red alert,” urging residents to stay indoors or seek shelter due to the maximum hazard posed by Beryl.
Hurricane Beryl causing red alert at Mexico
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has urged people in the path of Hurricane Beryl to take shelter. The meteorological service has forecast heavy to torrential rains, which could lead to landslides and flooding.
“No hesitating. Material things can be recovered. The most important thing is life,” the president wrote on social media.
Earlier on Thursday, Hurricane Beryl passed the Cayman Islands after causing significant damage in Jamaica, where its powerful winds damaged buildings and uprooted trees.
Authorities have reported at least 11 fatalities due to Hurricane Beryl across Jamaica, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and northern Venezuela.
The death toll may increase as communications are restored and more reports come in from islands affected by flooding and strong winds.
Governor Mara Lezama stated that the entire state of Quintana Roo, including Cancun, was preparing for the storm in a video posted on X.
“Let’s take all measures of prevention and care because the winds and rains will be felt throughout the state. At this time no one should be away from home,” Lezama said.
At Cancun International Airport, around 100 flights were canceled on Thursday as tourists rushed to catch the last available flights out. In Cancun, some visitors walked along the beach on Thursday evening as winds started to increase.
Nearby in Playa del Carmen, police used yellow caution tape to block beach entrances, discouraging visitors ahead of Hurricane Beryl’s anticipated arrival.
Earlier on Thursday, the Cayman Islands received the all-clear after escaping the worst of the storm’s impact.
Beryl had weakened throughout the day after passing near Jamaica’s southern coast late Wednesday as a powerful Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
“We’re happy to be alive, happy that the damage was not more extensive,” said Joseph Patterson, a bee keeper in the southwestern Jamaican town of Bogue.
He described felled power lines, roads blocked with debris and “tremendous damage” to farms.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness reported two deaths in Jamaica related to Hurricane Beryl in an interview on CBC on Thursday.
Approximately 70% of the National Water Commission’s customers, totaling 400,000, were without water, according to a company representative.
Despite the challenges, Holness mentioned that most Jamaicans were grateful for having “escaped the worst” of the storm.
Hurricane Beryl was projected by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) to bring 4-6 inches (10-15 cm) of rainfall to the Yucatan Peninsula through Friday, with localized amounts possibly reaching 10 inches.
The NHC anticipates Beryl will rapidly weaken as it crosses the peninsula early Friday but may regain strength as it moves over the Gulf of Mexico.
The storm’s path is forecasted to head toward northeastern Mexico and southern Texas by late in the weekend, as per the NHC’s latest updates.
