Miami, Jul 4 (EFE).- Beryl has weakened to a Category 3 but remains a major hurricane that passed southwest of Grand Cayman Island in the Caribbean on Thursday, leaving a storm surge and destructive winds and waves on its way to Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, where it will arrive on Friday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported.
Although the Miami-based NHC has not yet included the United States in the path of the powerful hurricane, meteorologists from the American media indicate that it might reach the coasts of Texas, on the border with Mexico, following further strengthening in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
Beryl’s eye arrived near Grand Cayman Island on Thursday morning following causing damage in Jamaica on Wednesday and in the Windward Islands, where it reached as a Category 5 storm, the strongest on the Saffir-Simpson scale, at the beginning of the week.
The first hurricane of the Atlantic season remains powerful with maximum sustained winds of 185 kilometers per hour (115 miles), according to the latest NHC bulletin.
The cyclone, which is continuing its journey through the Caribbean, is located 150 kilometers (95 miles) west-southwest of Grand Cayman and 530 kilometers (330 miles) east-southeast of Tulum, Mexico.
In addition to the Cayman Islands, hurricane warnings also cover the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico), from Chetumal, on the border with Belize, to Cabo Catoche, passing through Cozumel and Cancun.
Tropical storm warnings are also in effect for the coast of Belize from this city in Central America to Chetumal, and for the coast of Mexico from Cancun to Campeche.
Beryl, the earliest Category 4 hurricane system on record in the season, is moving west-northwest at 30 kilometers per hour (18 miles per hour).
Beryl’s eye made landfall on Monday over Cariobacú Island in the Windward Islands, wreaking havoc on several of the islands.
The NHC forecasts Beryl to weaken over the next two days. It expects its core to move west-northwestward away from the Cayman Islands this followingnoon and reach the Yucatan Peninsula early Friday.
The NHC forecasts Beryl to emerge from its Yucatan passage over the southwestern Gulf of Mexico on Friday night and move northwestward across the southwestern Gulf of Mexico on Saturday.
Three named tropical storms have formed so far during the Atlantic hurricane season, which began on June 1: Alberto, Beryl and Chris.
This year’s Atlantic hurricane season is set to be well above average, with up to 13 hurricanes possible, including up to seven major hurricanes, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The forecast indicates that a total of between 17 and 25 storms might form this year, that is, with maximum sustained winds above 62 kilometers per hour.
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2024-07-07 19:45:00