Hurricane Beryl continues to move northwest after slamming into Grenada as a Category 4 storm, bringing a life-threatening storm surge, 150 mph winds and up to 10 inches of rain.
The hurricane hasn’t yet weakened, and forecasters say it could remain a major hurricane (Category 3 or higher) until at least Tuesday. But where will Beryl head next?
Here’s the latest forecast for Hurricane Beryl.
Where is Beryl?
Beryl’s winds remain strong at 150 mph. It is moving west-northwest at 20 mph and is located northwest of Grenada.
The National Hurricane Center expects the storm to strengthen through Tuesday morning before experiencing upper-level wind shear and weakening as it passes over the Caribbean islands.
“Either way, Beryl is expected to remain a powerful hurricane through later this week, and officials in the Northwest Caribbean and Yucatan Peninsula should continue to monitor the latest forecasts.” NHC Advisory.
Where is Beryl headed and how weak will she become?
The NHC issued a tropical storm warning for southern Haiti and southeastern Puerto Rico. Beryl is expected to pass south Tuesday evening and into the night and still become a major Category 3 hurricane. On Wednesday, the storm will move south of and close to Jamaica, where a hurricane warning has been issued.
The storm will also pass near the Cayman Islands on Thursday, but as of Monday afternoon no warning had been issued for the islands.
“This storm is being driven by strong high pressure across the Atlantic Ocean. Yesterday’s storms along the US East Coast were generated by a weakening jet stream, weakening high pressure in the western Atlantic,” hurricane expert Brian Norcross said.
“This is why Beryl’s path through the Caribbean is curving north,” he continued, “but a high pressure system is forecast to develop across the southeastern U.S. later this week, which should halt the northward movement, causing Beryl to resume its westward movement while curving south.”
Should the US prepare for Hurricane Beryl?
On its current track, Beryl will reach the Yucatan Peninsula on Friday morning, and forecasters say it will weaken to a tropical storm as it moves inland.
“Beryl will likely move westward through the Caribbean Sea, so it poses no threat to Florida and surrounding areas, but by the time the storm approaches or crosses the Yucatan Peninsula, its currents will slow,” Norcross said. “Slow-moving storms are always hard to predict, so we leave open the possibility that Beryl could reach the western Gulf of Mexico sometime next weekend. The chances of problems for Texas don’t seem high, but they’re not zero at this point.”
Texas weekend weather forecast uncertain
The NWS office in Brownsville, Texas, agreed, saying they should have a better idea of where Beryl is heading after Thursday and Friday.
“Hurricane Beryl may be lurking somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico, with attention focused on Days 5-7 and beyond. At this time, there is a wide variance in model forecasts, so it is too early to lean one way or the other,” the NWS said.
“The general consensus among experts at the National Hurricane Center is that Beryl will encounter wind shifts and weaken before approaching the Yucatan Peninsula late Thursday into Friday,” the forecast discussion continues. “Further information may not be known until Thursday or Friday.”
Hurricane Beryl became the second named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season and made history by rapidly intensifying from a tropical depression to a tropical storm to a major hurricane (Category 3 or greater) within 48 hours. Beryl is the strongest June hurricane and the fastest Category 4 storm since records began in 1851.
