Hurricane Beryl
Hurricane Beryl was an extremely rare and destructive tropical cyclone that impacted parts of the Caribbean, the Yucatán Peninsula, and the Gulf Coast of the United States in late June and early July 2024. The second named storm, first hurricane, first major hurricane, and first Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson scale of the extremely active 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, the system broke many meteorological records, primarily for formation and intensity. Beryl was one of only two Atlantic hurricanes to reach Category 5 hurricane status in July, along with Emily in 2005. Beryl was both the earliest-forming Category 4 and Category 5 hurricane on record in the Atlantic Ocean, and the strongest hurricane to develop within the Main Development Region of the Atlantic before the month of July.
Beryl developed from a tropical wave that left the coast of Africa on June 25. After forming on June 28 in the Main Development Region, it began rapidly intensifying as it moved west through the central tropical Atlantic. On July 1, Beryl made landfall on the island of Carriacou, Grenada, as a Category 4 hurricane, causing significant damage. The hurricane intensified further as it entered the Caribbean Sea, peaking as a Category 5 hurricane early the next morning with maximum sustained winds of and a minimum central pressure of. Over the next few days, Beryl slowly weakened due to wind shear as it passed south of Jamaica and then the Cayman Islands. It briefly re-intensified into a Category 3 hurricane before weakening again as it made landfall in Tulum, Quintana Roo, as a high-end Category 1 hurricane on July 5. After weakening into a tropical storm over the Yucatán Peninsula, the system moved into the Gulf of Mexico, where it gradually reorganized into a Category 1 hurricane on July 8, just before making its final landfall near Matagorda, Texas. Beryl slowly weakened over land as it accelerated to the northeast, eventually becoming post-tropical over the state of Arkansas on July 9 and dissipating over Ontario on July 11.
Damage and casualties from the hurricane were widespread. Beryl caused catastrophic impacts on Grenada's northern islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique, damaging or destroying 99% of buildings on the former and 70% on the latter. Several of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines' southern islands, such as Canouan, Mayreau, and Union Island, had 80%-90% of dwellings damaged to some degree. On Barbados, Beryl damaged more than 200 boats and about 40 homes. In the Venezuelan state of Sucre, the Manzanares River overflowed, Flooding more than 6,000 homes. Landslides and rough seas destroyed some structures in the Dominican Republic, while the hurricane damaged crops, dwellings, and infrastructure on Jamaica. Sustained damage was also recorded in Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula as well, although it was generally limited to downed trees and power lines and damaged roofs; there was also widespread flooding. In the United States, the state of Texas experienced severe flooding and wind damage, while about 2.7 million people lost electricity. Additionally, the hurricane and its remnants produced a prolific tornado outbreak, with 68 tornadoes confirmed in the United States and 2 in Ontario. Overall, Beryl caused 73 deaths, including 48 in the United States, 8 in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 6 each in Grenada and Venezuela, 4 in Jamaica, and 1 in Canada. Additionally, Beryl inflicted at least $9.05 billion in damage, with $7.2 billion in the United States, $995 million in Jamaica, $231 million in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, $218 million in Grenada, $96.5 million in Barbados, $90 million in Mexico, $2.1 million in the Cayman Islands, and $2 million in Saint Lucia. Consequently, due to extensive damage and casualties, the name Beryl was retired following the season, and replaced by Brianna starting from the 2030 season.
Meteorological history
A tropical wave emerged off the coast of West Africa on June 23, producing disorganized showers south of Cabo Verde. By the evening of June 27, the satellite presentation of the disturbance was beginning to show some organization, with curved bands developing around a broad circulation. Environmental conditions at the time were described as being "unusually conducive" for tropical cyclogenesis across the central and western tropical Atlantic for late June, with near record-warm sea surface temperatures of about, light wind shear of, plus high mid-level relative humidity of around 70%. The disturbance developed further over the next day, with persistent thunderstorm activity occurring. The tropical wave developed into a tropical depression at 12:00 UTC on June 28 about east of Barbados. The depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Beryl by 00:00 UTC on June 29, with thunderstorms organizing into a central dense overcast, with a symmetric cloud pattern surrounded by rainbands.Continuing its rapid intensification, Beryl became a hurricane on June 29 as the inner core of the thunderstorms developed into an eye. Beryl intensified into a Category 3 major hurricane around 12:00 UTC on June 30 and a Category 4 hurricane six hours later. An eyewall replacement cycle then weakened Beryl to a Category 3 hurricane early on July 1, but it regained Category 4 strength six hours later once the cycle was completed. At 15:10 UTC the same day, Beryl made landfall in Carriacou, Grenada, with winds of 140 mph. After entering the Caribbean, Hurricane Hunters found that Beryl further intensified into a Category 5 hurricane early on July 2 and soon peaked with winds of 165 mph and a minimum pressure of, recorded by a dropsonde about east-southeast of Beata Island.
Increasing wind shear led Beryl to begin weakening later on July 2 as it passed well south of Hispaniola, falling to Category 4 intensity. Beryl passed south of southern Jamaica late on July 3 and early on July 4. Around 12:00 UTC on the latter date, the cyclone weakened to a Category 2 hurricane southeast of the Cayman Islands. Beryl briefly regained major hurricane status early on July 5 but quickly weakened back. At 11:00 UTC, the storm struck Mexico near Tulum, Quintana Roo, as a Category 1 hurricane with winds of 90 mph. Beryl fell to tropical storm status before reaching the Gulf of Mexico later on July 5. That night and into the next day, in addition to a broader inner core, Beryl was beset by an infusion of dry air and by moderate wind shear which kept the storm from strengthening appreciably. Even so, by the afternoon of July 6, its convective structure had improved and become more persistent. Beryl turned to the north-northwest on July 7, and slowed to. Early on July 8, Hurricane Hunters showed Beryl became a Category 1 hurricane before striking near Matagorda, Texas, at 08:40 UTC with winds of 90 mph. While crossing Greater Houston, Beryl weakened to a tropical storm at 18:00 UTC and turned northeastward. Around 00:00 UTC on July 9, the cyclone weakened to a tropical depression, about 12 hours before becoming extratropical over Arkansas. The extratropical remnants crossed the Midwestern United States and southern Ontario before being absorbed near Buffalo, New York, by a frontal system on July 11.
Records
Beryl is the easternmost hurricane to form in the tropical Atlantic in June41.9°W, beating the mark set by the 1933 Trinidad hurricane58.9°W. Additionally, on June 30, it became the earliest Category 4 hurricane on record in the basin, surpassing the previous record set on July 8, 2005, by Hurricane Dennis, and the strongest June hurricane as measured by wind speed, surpassing Hurricane Audrey of 1957. It later became the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record, surpassing the record set on July 16, 2005, by Hurricane Emily, as well as becoming the strongest July hurricane on record by wind speed, and the highest accumulated cyclone energy-generating storm before August.Beryl was the strongest cyclone to hit Grenada or its dependencies. Beryl also became the first tropical system on record to undergo rapid intensification in the Main Development Region of the Atlantic during the month of June. Furthermore, it intensified from tropical storm to Category 5 hurricane in only 42 hours. Only seven other Atlantic storms are known to have achieved this rate of intensification, with Beryl the only one to do so earlier than August. According to an analysis by ClimaMeter, a project of the Climate and Environment Sciences Laboratory, Beryl's extreme winds and heavy precipitation were strengthened by climate change. Natural climate variability, notably the Pacific decadal oscillation and the Atlantic multidecadal oscillation, likely played a role as well.
Preparations
Lesser Antilles
Barbados, Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Saint Lucia were put under a hurricane warning on June 29. Tobago was also put under a hurricane warning on June 30, as was Martinique, along with a vigilance orange. Trinidad was under a tropical storm warning, and Dominica placed under a tropical storm watch. Caribbean Airlines postponed several flights between Barbados, Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago on June 30. Virgin Atlantic and British Airways also canceled flights in the region as the storm approached.A state of emergency was declared for Tobago. Ferry schedules were modified on June 30 in Trinidad and Tobago. All ferries to Tobago for July 1 were canceled. Schools across the nation were closed for July 1. As of that morning, the 14 shelters across Tobago sheltered 142 people. Around 160 yachts moved into the nation's waters seeking shelter.
All businesses on Barbados were ordered to be closed by the evening of July 1, and all waterlines were shut down. The India national cricket team was unable to return home from Barbados after winning the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup; scores of fans were also stranded on the island. As Beryl passed nearby, more than 400 people were staying in hurricane shelters across Barbados.
A curfew was instated in Grenada on June 30, and a week-long state of emergency was declared by Governor-General Cécile La Grenade. A Caribbean Community meeting in Grenada, scheduled to run from July 3 to July 5, was canceled. On June 29, Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre of Saint Lucia ordered a national shutdown there. A curfew was also imposed in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and the government shut down. In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 1,752 people sought refuge from Beryl in shelters, as did over 1,600 people in Grenada.