Hurricane Beryl hits record 165 mph winds as Category 5 storm heads toward Jamaica

Hurricane Beryl Killed at least six people in the Caribbean As heavy rains, “life-threatening” winds and flooding continue to batter the region this week, forecasters warn it could remain at least a tropical storm as it moves toward Mexico.

The National Hurricane Center said in an update Tuesday that the storm, which is still a Category 5 and is currently in the Caribbean Sea just off the U.S. East Coast, could reach the U.S. East Coast on Tuesday. 175 Miles southeast of the Dominican Republic, sustained winds reached about 165 mph — making it the strongest July hurricane ever recorded, beating out Emily from 2015. In an afternoon update, the center said maximum sustained winds had dropped slightly to 155 mph with higher gusts.

Three people were killed in Grenada, Two killed in northeastern Venezuela One person was killed in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, according to officials, who warned there could be more fatalities. In Grenada, two people died on Carriacou Island and one person died after a tree fell on a house on River Road.

Grenada Prime Minister Deacon Mitchell said there were several downed power lines and roads impassable due to debris in the island nation.

“The situation is bleak. There is no port. There is almost complete destruction of homes and buildings on the island,” Deacon said.

The National Hurricane Center said Beryl was moving west across the Caribbean at 22 mph and was expected to continue through Wednesday when it passes near Jamaica. The hurricane will then approach the Cayman Islands on Thursday before reaching the Yucatan Peninsula overnight.

“Weakening is expected later today, but Beryl is expected to remain near major hurricane intensity as it moves toward the central Caribbean and passes near Jamaica on Wednesday and the Cayman Islands on Thursday,” the center said in an update Tuesday. “Additional weakening is expected after that, though Beryl is expected to remain a hurricane in the northwestern Caribbean.”

video Images of the Bridgetown Fisheries Complex in Barbados showed damage to ships and debris scattered throughout the area. A tourist staying at a resort in Jamaica shared video From the lounge chairs swept away by the strong winds of Beryl to the pool.

Jamaica has raised its hurricane warning from a warning to a hurricane warning. Prime Minister Andrew Holness urged people to prepare. He warned that emergency services would not be able to operate during the peak of hurricane conditions.

“We are facing an imminent disaster and we have to treat it with the seriousness that it requires,” Holness said. “We are going to have some adverse weather effects, whether it’s a direct hit or a lightning strike… so everyone has to be mentally alert now.”

Much of the Caribbean is now bracing for major impacts and damage this week. Jamaica remains under a hurricane warning, with heavy rains and flooding possible there on Wednesday.

Storm tides in Jamaica could reach 5 to 8 feet above normal tide levels, with up to 12 inches of rain possible there and on the southwestern Haiti Peninsula through Wednesday. In the Cayman Islands, where a hurricane warning is also in effect, storm tides could raise water levels 2 to 4 feet above normal.

Beryl’s effects could even reach the continental United States, with minor coastal flooding in southeast Texas or southwest Louisiana, according to the agency. National Weather Service Field Office in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Additional impacts are possible if the hurricane moves further north than expected.

Tropical storm warnings have been issued for southern Hispaniola – the island made up of Haiti and the Dominican Republic – while hurricane warnings have been issued. To the southern coast of Haiti.

Beryl is the first Category 4 or higher hurricane to develop in June and the earliest Category 4 storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. It is also the strongest hurricane to pass through the Windward Islands, which include Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia, and Martinique.