Hurricane Beryl maps show path and landfall forecast (2024)

Hurricane Berylis bearing down on Jamaica on Wednesday after making landfall two days earlier as apowerful Category 4storm on the island of Carriacou in Grenada while tearing through the Caribbean, strengthening at times to a Category 5 storm — thestrongest rating.

What is the projected path of Hurricane Beryl?

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said the center of Beryl was forecast to pass near or over Jamaica's southern coast on Wednesday and near or over the Cayman Islands on Wednesday night or early Thursday and move over Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula on Thursday night or early Friday.

"Some weakening is forecast during the next day or two," the hurricane center said. "However, Beryl is forecast to be at or near major hurricane intensity while it passes the Cayman Islands."

A hurricane is considered major when it's aCategory 3 or higher, with winds of at least 111 mph. As of late Wednesday afternoon, Beryl was a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph, the hurricane center said.

Beryl was about 65 miles west-southwest of Kingston, Jamaica, and was moving west-northwest at 20 mph, according to the center.

Will Hurricane Beryl hit Texas?

CBS affiliate KHOU-TV reportedthat whether Berylcrashes into Texas depends on how much strength it loses as it goes over land as well as conditions in the Gulf of Mexico in the coming days. One key factor will be how wind shear affects Beryl.

"The flow of the wind pattern as it enters the Gulf is going to be more hostile," KHOU-TV meteorologist Kim Castro said. "The atmospheric conditions are going to start ripping it apart."

Another factor will be an area of high pressure in Texas that has been acting as a barrier but is forecast to move east later this week.

"Depending on where Beryl is situated, it could track towards Tampico (Mexico), the area where these tropical storms have tracked so far this season," Castro said. "…However, if this tracks a little further to the north, there would be nothing to kind of nudge it south, so there is a little exposure to the Texas coastline."

The hurricane center urged people in southern Texas to monitor Beryl's progress.

A hurricane warning was posted for Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, Cayman Brac and parts of the Yucatan's east coast. A hurricane watch was also in effect for the Yucatan's east coast, as was a tropical storm warning. A tropical storm watch was also in place for the east coast of Belize, from Chetumal south to Belize City, and parts of the Yucatan's west coast.

Where will Hurricane Beryl bring rain and flooding?

The hurricane center said Jamaica and parts of Haiti were likely to see heavy rains and life-threatening flash flooding.

"Beryl is expected to produce rainfall totals of 4 to 8 inches with localized amounts of 12 inches across Jamaica through Wednesday evening, along with additional rainfall of 4 to 6 inches over the Tiburon Peninsula of Haiti," the center said. "This heavy rainfall is expected to cause life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides."

What's more, the center noted, "Beryl is also expected to bring rainfall totals of 4 to 6 inches over the Cayman Islands Wednesday night into Thursday. Over the Yucatan Peninsula into northern Belize, Beryl is expected to produce rainfall totals of 4 to 6 inches with localized amounts of 8 inches late Thursday through Friday."

Beryl became thefirst hurricaneof the 2024Atlantic hurricane seasonon Saturday and rapidly strengthened. It first reached Category 4 on Sunday, wavering back to Category 3 before returning to Category 4 on Monday and then becoming a Category 5 later Monday night. It is the first major hurricane east of the Lesser Antilles on record for June, according to Philip Klotzbach, Colorado State University hurricane researcher.

Brian McNoldy, a tropical meteorology researcher for the University of Miami, told The Associated Press warm waters are fueling Beryl, with ocean heat content in the deep Atlantic the highest on record for this time of year.

Beryl has also set recordsas the first June hurricane ever to hit Category 4, the farthest east a storm has ever hit Category 4, and the first storm before September to go from tropical depression to major hurricane in under 48 hours, CBS News weather producer David Parkinson reported.

Beryl was also the earliest Category 5 hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic basin and was only the second Category 5 storm recorded in July since 2005, according to the hurricane center.

Alex Sundby and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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