Hurricane Beryl strengthens to Category 5 storm as it moves toward Jamaica after making landfall: Live updates

Hurricane Beryl, a Category 5 storm, “continues to strengthen,” the National Hurricane Center said in its latest advisory.

The storm is expected to bring “life-threatening winds and storm surge to Jamaica” with the island under a hurricane warning.

Heavy rain and flash flooding are possible in parts of Jamaica on Wednesday.

There is also a tropical storm warning in effect for Hispaniola.

Hurricane Beryl brought deadly conditions to the Grenadines, Carriacou Island and Grenada on Monday, killing at least one person.

Grenada Prime Minister Deacon Mitchell said one person had died, but he could not yet say if there were any others killed.

“We hope there will be no more deaths or injuries. But keep in mind the challenge we face in Carriacou and Petite Martinique,” he said.

He said authorities had not yet been able to assess the situation on the islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique, where there were initial reports of extensive damage but communications were largely cut off.

Mr Mitchell added that the government would send people first thing on Tuesday morning to assess the situation on the islands.

Hurricane Beryl made landfall in the Windward Islands as a Category 4 storm, the first on record to reach that intensity.

Officials said they had received “widespread reports of destruction.”

Streets from St. Lucia south to Grenada were littered with shoes, trees, downed power lines and other debris.

“In half an hour, Kariakoo was completely destroyed,” Mr Mitchell said.

Hurricane Beryl has strengthened to a Category 5 storm after making landfall in the Windward Islands as it heads toward Jamaica.

The National Hurricane Center said the hurricane was located about 840 miles (1,355 kilometers) east-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph (260 kph).

Beryl has now become only the second storm ever to reach Category 5 intensity in July, after Emily did so in 2005.

The storm is expected to remain a major hurricane as it moves through the Caribbean.

“Fluctuations in strength are likely over the next day or so, but Beryl is expected to remain near major hurricane intensity as it moves into the central Caribbean and passes near Jamaica on Wednesday,” the National Hurricane Center said.

Flights were delayed and canceled at Piarco International Airport in Trinidad and Tobago as Hurricane Beryl swept across the eastern Caribbean, stranding travelers Monday afternoon.

A computer model of Hurricane Beryl’s many possible paths, known as the “spaghetti” model, shows that the devastating Category 4 storm could hit the southeastern United States in the coming days.

The model shows the storm likely to move toward the Gulf Coast, near eastern Texas and Louisiana. However, meteorologists won’t be able to make a definitive decision on Beryl’s potential impact on the United States until it gets much closer. That could take several days.

Gulf Coast residents should check with their local National Weather Service office for updated weather information.

The hurricane is moving “rapidly across the southeastern Caribbean Sea,” National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration hurricane hunters said in an 8 p.m. ET update Monday.

Beryl is moving west-northwest at 21 mph, with maximum speeds of 155 mph.

The National Hurricane Center has issued a hurricane warning for Jamaica as Hurricane Beryl continues to cross the Caribbean.

The warning came in the 8 p.m. storm update.