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Hurricane Beryl barreled toward the Cayman Islands Thursday morning after hitting Jamaica, setting a course of destruction across the Caribbean and putting countries at risk.
The storm flattened islands, flooded communities and killed at least eight people. It lost some of its strength at Category 3, with winds of 120 miles per hour, but still packed dangerous winds, storm surges and heavy rain.
Here are some important things to know about the storm:
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Beryl devastated islands in Grenada after making landfall earlier on Monday as a Category 4 hurricane.
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In Jamaica, hundreds of thousands of homes were left without power and several communities were flooded on Wednesday, with officials saying the full extent of the damage was not yet clear.
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A hurricane warning was in effect for the Cayman Islands on Thursday, with weather forecasters expecting high winds, dangerous storm surges, devastating waves and flooding.
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In Mexico, officials warned that the country could be hit twice in the coming days. Forecasters said the storm could weaken but will likely remain a hurricane until it makes landfall on the Yucatán Peninsula.
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The weekend forecast remained uncertain through Thursday morning, with the Weather Service saying it could cause rip currents and life-threatening conditions along Gulf Coast beaches beginning Friday evening.
The storm left behind devastation.
Beryl made landfall Monday in Grenada, where officials said about 98 percent of buildings on Carriacou and Petite Martinique, home to a combined 9,000 to 10,000 people, were damaged or destroyed, including Carriacou’s main health center. Crops were destroyed and fallen trees and power poles littered streets.
“We have to rebuild everything from the ground up,” said Grenada’s Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell.
It then headed toward Jamaica, where it also left its mark on Wednesday with heavy rain and devastating winds. Beryl was the strongest storm to approach the island in more than a decade.
The storm ripped off part of the roof of the jet bridge at Jamaica’s main airport. Jamaica’s transport minister, Daryl Vaz, said a plan was being prepared to figure out how the airport would operate while the roof for boarding and arrivals was being repaired.
As the storm approached the Cayman Islands on Thursday morning, most businesses were already closed, with residents lining up for last-minute groceries and having to travel back and forth through heavy traffic.
Hurricane season is expected to be a busy one.
Weather experts warn that the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season could be much more active than normal.
In late May, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted 17 to 25 storms would form this year, an “above-normal” number and a forecast that is in line with more than a dozen predictions earlier this year from experts at universities, private companies and government agencies. Hurricane seasons produce an average of 14 named storms.
