Hurricane Beryl live updates: Storm batters Jamaica before charting path to Cayman Islands

The National Hurricane Center has said there is uncertainty in the track and intensity forecast of Beryl over the western Gulf of Mexico this weekend.

Interests in eastern Mexico and southern Texas should monitor Beryl’s progress, yet regardless of what path the hurricane takes, rip currents could cause life-threatening beach conditions beginning late Friday and through the weekend across much of the Gulf Coast.

Meanwhile, hurricane-force winds, dangerous storm surge and heavy rainfall is expected over portions of the Yucatan Peninsula and Belize beginning Thursday night as Beryl approaches, with strong winds, dangerous storm surge, damaging waves and flooding expected in the Cayman Islands today.

Laura Velazquez, the head of Mexico’s civil defence agency said the hurricane is expected to make landfall along a relatively unpopulated stretch of the Caribbean coast between Tulum and the inland town of Felipe Carrillo Puerto.

Because the coast there is largely made up of lagoons and mangroves, there are few resorts or hotels in the area south of Tulum.

Ms Velazquez said that Beryl is then expected to hit Mexican territory a second time in the Gulf coast states of Veracruz or Tamaulipas, near the Texas border.

If Hurricane Beryl maintains its strength, it has the potential to hit southern Texas and Louisiana over the weekend, according to the National Weather Service.

Despite overcast weather in Delhi, the mood on the team’s arrival from Barbados was lifted by dhol beats, flower bouquets and cakes bearing the winning team’s photos.

Hundreds of thousands of homes are without power in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl’s destruction after its conditions hit Jamaica on Wednesday.

The country’s energy provider, JPS, said that 65 per cent, which is around 400,000 of its customers, were left without power on Thursday morning.

The Jamaican government said on Wednesday several roadways in the country’s interior settlements were impacted by fallen trees and utility poles, while some communities in the northern section and the capital were without electricity.

At least one person more has died as Beryl devastates the southeastern Caribbean after one death was confirmed in Jamaica.

A woman has been killed after a tree fell on her house in the western parish of Hanover, Richard Thompson, the head of the country’s disaster agency, told The New York Times.

A rescue team was also searching for a 20-year-old man who had been swept away in a gully after he was trying to retrieve a ball he was playing with in Kingston, the newspaper reports.

At least three people died in Venezuela, three died in Grenada and one person died in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

While Hurricane Beryl has dropped down to a Category 3, the National Hurricane Centre warns that it is still forecast to be ‘near major hurricane intensity’ on Thursday as it passes by the Cayman Islands.

As of 5am EDT (10am GMT), Beryl was located just 55 miles (90km) south-southeast of Grand Cayman. Weather is deteriorating in the Cayman Islands with strong winds, dangerous storm surge and damaging waves expected there later Thursday morning, the National Hurricane Center states in its most recent update.

A Hurricane Warning is in effect for Grand Cayman, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac and the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico from Puerto Costa Maya to Cancun, including Cozumel.

Beryl’s winds have decreased, but are still at a strong 120mph (195 km/h).

Very soon, the Cayman Islands are expected to experience hurricane wind conditions, as well as in the Yucatan Peninsula late today or early Friday.

Storm surges could raise water levels along the immediate coast of the Cayman Islands as much as two to four feet above normal, bringing with it large and destructive waves.

Beryl is also bringing rainfall totals of four to six inches over the Cayman Islands on Thursday, the same expected for the Yucatan Peninsula later today into Friday. The Yucatan Peninsula could see localized amounts of 10 inches as well.

Scattered instances of flash flooding is expected over the region.

After Hurricane Beryl devastated several Caribbean islands this week and most recently battered Jamaica with Category 4-force winds, the National Hurricane Center said the extreme conditions should be subsiding around the island.

Storm surge should gradually be dwindling in Jamaica on Thursday morning; however, Beryl is still expected to produce rainfall totals of four to eight inches with localized amounts of 12 inches across this morning in the nation.

The rain could still cause life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides.

A Hurricane Warning has been discontinued in Jamaica as Beryl begins to move away from the island, the country’s Meteorological Service said on Wednesday night.

However, a flash flood watch was still in effect until 5am on Tuesday EST.

“With Jamaica now being outside of the range of hurricane force winds from Hurricane Beryl, and with storm surge no longer posing a threat to coastal areas of the island, the Hurricane Warning is being discontinued with immediate effect,” the Meteorological Service wrote in their bulletin.

Along with the continuing threats of rainfall and flash flooding in Jamaica in the aftermath of the hurricane, strong, gusty winds could still exist, and rising water levels will continue to affect southwestern coastal areas.

All small craft operators are urged to remain in port until sea conditions return to normal, the Meteorological Service said.

Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced that the curfew imposed in the island nation will be extended until Thursday morning amid continuing adverse weather conditions.

The curfew went into effect at 11.00pm Wednesday (4am GMT Thursday) and will stay through the night until 6am (11am GMT) on Thursday.