Hurricane Beryl reached category five in the early hours of this Tuesday after leaving a trail of destruction in Grenada, Barbados, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Saint Lucia, among other islands of the Lesser Antilles.
Images posted on social media attest to the damages caused by the meteorological phenomenon in the islands, which have delicate infrastructure, many of them made of wood.
In Grenada, Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell provided an update on the passage of Beryl, stating that the island of Carriacou was "devastated" in just "half an hour."
The Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, reported that the hurricane sank more than twenty fishing boats, including the historic vessels Jolly Roger and Dreamchaser.
In addition, two of the country's main roads are impassable while electricity and water companies are working to restore service.
The Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, reported to the media that at least one person died in the country during the passage of the phenomenon and that there is "immense destruction" on the islands of Union, Mayreau, and Canouan.
Beryl continues to move west-northwest at a speed of 35 km/h with winds exceeding 250 km/h.
The forecasted path indicates that the center of Beryl will move quickly through the southeast and the central Caribbean Sea over the next couple of days.
Jamaica and the Cayman Islands are on high alert, and on Thursday, they could be affected by the powerful hurricane's passage.
With maximum sustained winds of 270 km/h and stronger gusts, it is still expected to intensify throughout the day. However, the NHC indicated that it is expected to begin weakening this afternoon.
After the passage of the meteor over Jamaica (on Wednesday) and the Cayman Islands (on Thursday), an even greater weakening is expected. Alerts for swells and precipitation that may cause flash floods have been issued in these islands, Puerto Rico, and Hispaniola.
Beryl, which enters the record book as the easternmost hurricane formed during a June month, has had a complex behavior, making it difficult to forecast its trajectory beyond 72 hours. According to the NHC, the intensity forecast for Beryl is also quite uncertain.
Beryl is the earliest recorded category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic cyclone season. It had weakened during its path but regained strength on Monday when it made landfall on the island of Carriacou in Grenada.
With maximum sustained winds of 270 km/h, Beryl has been classified by the NHC as "potentially catastrophic."
This year, the Atlantic hurricane season is expected to be very active, with the possibility of forming up to 13 hurricanes, of which up to seven could be major ones, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States (NOAA).
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