After battering Jamaica with severe winds and heavy rain, which resulted in at least 11 deaths across the region, Hurricane Beryl maintained its major hurricane strength as it moved past the Cayman Islands and towards Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on Thursday.

Beryl's center was expected to move past the Cayman Islands on Thursday afternoon, bringing "strong winds, dangerous storm surge, and damaging waves" to the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula early Friday, according to an 11 a.m. update from the National Hurricane Center. Downgraded to a Category 3 hurricane early Thursday, Beryl had winds of 115 mph when it was about 95 miles west-southwest of Grand Cayman, the largest of the Cayman Islands.

The Cayman Islands were expected to receive up to half a foot of rain on Thursday, with areas of the Yucatan Peninsula potentially seeing up to 10 inches, raising concerns of flash flooding.

Storm surges could elevate water levels along the Cayman Islands' immediate coast by 2 to 4 feet and by 3 to 5 feet on the east coast of the Yucatan, accompanied by "large and destructive waves." Weather officials warned of life-threatening surf and rip currents along the coasts of Jamaica, Cuba, and the Cayman Islands. These dangerous currents could spread to the Yucatan Peninsula and parts of Central America later Thursday and then to eastern Mexico and much of the U.S. Gulf Coast by late Friday.

As hurricane conditions subside in the Cayman Islands, tropical storm-strength winds were anticipated to reach the Yucatan Peninsula on Thursday, complicating outdoor preparations due to the hazardous conditions expected later in the day or by early Friday, the hurricane center reported.

A hurricane warning was in effect for the Cayman Islands and the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula from Puerto Costa Maya to Cancun, including Cozumel. Beryl was forecasted to gradually weaken over the next two days but was still expected to be at or near hurricane intensity as it passed near the Cayman Islands on Thursday and headed toward the Yucatan Peninsula by late Thursday.

In Jamaica, widespread power outages occurred after Beryl brushed the island's southern coast on Wednesday as a Category 4 storm, bringing destructive winds and rain. Officials confirmed at least nine deaths in Grenada, Venezuela, St. Vincent, and the Grenadines, according to Reuters. Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness told CNN that two deaths had been reported in the country due to Hurricane Beryl. In Jamaica's Hanover parish, a person was killed after a tree fell on their home, according to Richard Thompson, acting director general at Jamaica's disaster agency. Nearly a thousand residents sought shelter by Wednesday evening, Thompson said.

Emergency crews had evacuated people from flood-prone areas, and airports were closed after Prime Minister Andrew Holness issued an island-wide curfew for Wednesday.

A hurricane watch and tropical storm warning remained in effect for parts of the Yucatan Peninsula's coast. Mexico's government upgraded its tropical storm watch to a tropical storm warning from Progreso to Campeche. A tropical storm watch was also in effect for a large portion of the Belize coast.

The hurricane center warned that Beryl could make landfall on the Yucatan Peninsula as early as Thursday night. Along with heavy rain and wind, dangerous storm surge flooding was expected to threaten coastal areas.

"Widespread power outages and flash flooding are anticipated in the region," according to AccuWeather.

Developments:

  • The death toll from Beryl rose to at least 11 on Thursday, with the number expected to climb as communications are restored across islands damaged by flooding and intense winds.
  • Nerissa Gittens-McMillan, permanent secretary at St. Vincent and the Grenadines' agriculture ministry, warned of possible food shortages after 50% of plantain and banana crops were lost in the storm.
  • Forecasters warned of strong rip currents along much of the Gulf Coast through the weekend. Surf conditions will likely become dangerous on the south coast of Texas.

Potential Impact on Texas:

Portions of South Texas are now within Hurricane Beryl's forecast cone, which meteorologists say could impact the state over the weekend or early Monday. However, forecasters remain uncertain about Beryl's track and intensity as it approaches the Gulf Coast after hitting Mexico.

"From Panama City, Florida to New Orleans, there is a low risk of direct impacts from Beryl, but from about Corpus Christi to Brownsville, Texas, the risk increases significantly due to the potential for Beryl to have more direct impacts," AccuWeather meteorologist Jonathan Porter said. The southern Texas coast is the area to watch closely.

Coastal threats could begin this weekend. Onshore winds could lead to increasing surf, rip currents, and coastal flooding along parts of the Gulf Coast from eastern Mexico to Texas and western Louisiana starting as soon as Saturday, and continuing until after Beryl's final landfall. The rip current threat could extend further east along the northern Gulf Coast.

"Folks on the Texas coast, as we go into the holiday weekend, you're going to want to make sure you check back on the forecast and make sure you're ready for any potential impact," Brennan said Tuesday. "If we were to see tropical storm conditions affect those areas in the far western Gulf of Mexico, it could be during the day Saturday."

Caribbean Impact:

At least three islands reported more than 90% of homes and buildings either destroyed or severely damaged, according to the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency. These islands, within the chain of the Grenadine Islands, were severely impacted when Beryl made landfall over Carriacou.

The agency, which coordinates disaster response across 19 participating Caribbean states, reported significant damage in the Windward Islands, with sustained winds of 150 mph and higher gusts. Elizabeth Riley, the agency's executive director, noted that residents were left exposed and vulnerable as recovery efforts began amidst additional tropical wave rain and winds.