More powerful than expected, Hurricane Beryl hits Jamaica after leaving 9 dead in Caribbean | World

More powerful than expected, Hurricane Beryl hits Jamaica after leaving 9 dead in Caribbean | World
Hurricane Beryl, unprecedented for this time of year, will make landfall in Jamaica on July 3, 2024, with a strength greater than expected – Category 4, with winds of 225 km/h, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) – Image: Reproduction / Cooperative Institute for Atmospheric Research (CIRA)

Beryl hits Jamaican coast stronger than expectedAccording to the NHC bulletin at 6 p.m. (Brasilia time), The hurricane has fallen to Category 4 status, but still has winds of more than 220 km/h.

a Initial forecasts had suggested Beryl would lose strength by Tuesday afternoon, but the storm's intensity surprised forecasters.After Jamaica, Hurricane Beryl will hit the Cayman Islands later this evening. Thursday, it hits the southeastern coast of Mexico.According to current NHC forecasts.

Hurricane Beryl seen from space – Image: Reproduction/Reuters

Since the hurricane made landfall on the island of Grenada, a country located in the southeastern Caribbean Sea, on Monday (the first), He has already left nine dead:

  • Three are in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, a local official told Reuters.
  • Three in Venezuela, President Nicolas Maduro confirmed in an announcement broadcast on national television. Four others are missing.
  • Three in Grenada, according to the island's prime minister, Deacon Mitchell.

This is the For the first time, a phenomenon of this type has reached the Caribbean region in June with such force.Which made the authorities predict a severe hurricane season in the region.

It has been classified by the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) as a “very dangerous”Beryl emerged as a tropical storm and strengthened into a hurricane over the weekend. It is Go from class 1 to 4 in just ten hoursis considered very low.

Hurricane Beryl leaves a trail of destruction in the Caribbean

What does a category 5 hurricane mean?

The measurement is based on a scale created in the 1970s by engineer Herbert Saphir and meteorologist Robert Simpson in the USA – for this reason, it is called the Saphir-Simpson scale.

See the scale below by severity:

  • Category 1: Some damage possible, with winds of 73 to 95 mph. Could cause roof damage, break large tree branches and power lines;
  • Category 2: Potential for severe damage, winds gusting 154 km/h to 177 km/h. Homes could sustain structural damage. Trees uprooted and roads closed. Power outages frequent.
  • Category 3: Potentially devastating damage, with winds of 178 km/h to 208 km/h. Extensive damage to buildings. Many trees will be broken or uprooted. Power and water may be unavailable;
  • Category IV (Current Beryl Stage): It is likely to cause catastrophic damage, with winds of 130 to 155 mph (209 to 251 km/h). Homes could be knocked down, as could power poles, causing grid damage for weeks or months;
  • Category 5: It is likely to cause catastrophic damage, with winds exceeding 252 km/h. Many homes will be destroyed, with walls collapsing and roofs missing. Residential areas will be isolated. Areas may be uninhabitable for weeks or months.

Eye of Hurricane Beryl from space

An aerial drone image shows the force of the waves in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, during the passage of Category 5 Hurricane Beryl on July 2, 2024. – Photo: nstagram/@moises.arias06/via Reuters

Men pull a boat hit by Hurricane Beryl in Bridgetown, Barbados, July 1, 2024. – Photo: Ricardo Mazalan/AP

Hurricane Beryl Strengthens to Category 5

The hurricane began forming last week as an unstable storm and was gaining strength. See timeline:

  • 🌪️ June 25: Instability begins in the atmosphere, leading to the formation of a storm;
  • 🌪️ June 28: What was gaining strength is heading toward the Caribbean and becoming a tropical storm. So far, the forecast is for winds of 56 km/h;
  • 🌪️ June 30: It was classified as a hurricane and entered Category 3 (from a rating of 5).
  • 🌪️ Still on June 30: It became a category 4 hurricane, with a severe warning, with winds reaching 240 km/h.
  • 🌪️ July 1: Reclassified to Category 5.
  • 🌪️ July 3: It has been downgraded to Category 4, but the extreme danger alert remains in effect. Winds are gusting to 225 km/h.

According to the National Hurricane Center, such a powerful storm at the beginning of the hurricane season, which runs from June to the end of November in the Atlantic Ocean, is extremely rare.

Experts say Beryl gained this much in such a short time because of the boiling of ocean water. Temperatures in the area where the storm formed are up to 3 degrees Celsius above average.

At the end of May, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration declared that this year's hurricane season would be “exceptional,” with up to seven Category 3 storms or higher.

Caribbean islands brace for Hurricane Beryl with 195 km/h winds

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