As it bears down on the Texas coast, the storm is forecast to gain hurricane strength
US officials have issued a warning for areas with the possibility of a category two hurricane landfall on Monday. Hurricane Beryl is predicted to make landfall in the Texas-Mexico border region as a Category 2 or 3 storm. The threat of flash floods and landslides is likely to be greatest in eastern Texas, along with life-threatening surf and rip currents, forecasters said.
Texas is bracing for a possible hit from a storm in the Gulf of Mexico
Hurricane Beryl hit the Caribbean island of Dominica on Thursday as a Category 3 storm with winds of up to 155 km/h. It is expected to make landfall in the Dominican Republic’s coast on Friday night. At least seven have died from the storm, while hundreds of people are stranded in Dominica due to flooding and power outages.
It made landfall in Mexico with its sights set on Texas
Hurricane Beryl killed at least four people in Barbados, the Grenadines and Grenada on Thursday. The hurricane’s maximum sustained winds were clocked at 115 mph, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. The hurricane is expected to weaken before making landfall in the Yucatan peninsula, Mexico, on Saturday. Mexican authorities said they have evacuated some small coastal communities.
Why climate change makes hurricanes more dangerous
Hurricane Beryl, a Category 5 storm earlier this week, has strengthened to a Category 3 storm as it nears Mexico’s Tulum. The US Hurricane Center said that the storm’s centre is about 125 kilometres east-southeast of Tulum, Mexico, and is moving west-northwest at 16 mph (around 26kmph). It is expected to make a landfall in Yucatan Peninsula on Friday.
Climate change is making a storm like Beryl more dangerous
Haiti PM Dickon Mitchell said that there may be “more fatalities” in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl. “The possibility that theremay be more fatalities remains a grim reality as movement is still highly restricted,” he added. Meanwhile, Jamaica PM Andrew Holness said that the country has banned all non-essential travel for the next 48 hours, to prevent any criminal activity.
The storm roars toward Jamaica after hitting the southeast Caribbean islands
Hurricane Beryl, the first Atlantic storm to reach Category 5 strength, is expected to hit Jamaica on Tuesday morning. National Hurricane Center director Michael Brennan said people should prepare for “multiple life-threatening” hazards from Beryl. He added that hurricane conditions are expected to reach the coast of Jamaica around midday and that strong winds starting in the morning will make outside preparations difficult.