Hurricane Beryl update: Storm regains strength as it barrels toward Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and Tulum

Hurricane Beryl has weakened ever so slightly in its wind speed as is hurtles towards Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, with 110mph maximum sustained winds.

Only 40 miles (65km) east of Tulum in Mexico, Beryl is expected to make landfall in Mexico within the next few hours. The National Hurricane Center warns of storm surge that could raise water levels as much as four to six feet above ground levels along the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, bringing with it large and destructive waves.

Throughout today, weather experts predict rainfall totals of four to six inches, with localized amounts of 10 inches in the area, with scattered instances of flash flooding.

Large swells are already impacting portions of the coast of Cuba, the Cayman Islands, and the Yucatan Peninsula, and are expected to reach eastern Mexico and much of the Gulf Coast of the US by late today.

These swells are predicted to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.

Hotels, resorts and tour operators in Quintana Roo have activated emergency plans, securing their facilities and preparing their staff for the oncoming dangerous weather that Beryl is set to bring.

Cancun International Airport and other regional airports are also on alert and ready for flight cancellations and diversions, the Tulum Times reports.

Cancun’s airport has already canceled at least 100 flights on Thursday as tourists hurried to try and catch the final flights out of the hurricane zone, Reuters said.

Hurricane Beryl is set to make landfall on the Yucatan Peninsula in the next few hours on Friday morning, with tourist areas like Tulum, under risk of being directly hit.

A Hurricane Warning is in effect for the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico from Puerto Costa Maya to the country’s popular tourist destination Cancun, including Cozumel.

Around 3,000 tourists were evacuated from the island of Isla Mujeres and returned to the mainland near Cancun, the island’s tourism director Jose Magana said.

Meanwhile in Tulum, local residents were lining up to fill up their tanks at the gas station and hotels and tourist complexes were removing loose furniture in time for the strong winds.

Category 3 Hurricane Beryl is currently 40 miles (65km) east of Tulum in Mexico, a popular Caribbean coast resort, that holds thousands of tourists and residents.

As Beryl edges closer to landfall in the Yucatan Peninsula, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador issued a statement late Thursday saying Beryl may make a direct hit on Tulum.

“It is recommendable that people get to higher ground, shelters or the homes of friends or family elsewhere,” López Obrador wrote. “Don’t hesitate, material possessions can be replaced.”

Every municipality in Quintana Roo state, including Tulum, remains on red alert of “maximum danger,” Governor Mara Lezama said late Thursday night, according to CNN.

“At this moment, no one should be out of their homes,” she said.

Many southern and eastern municipalities in the neighboring Yucatan state are also on red alert, according to Mexico’s national civil protection agency, the outlet said.

Led by Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, the men’s team on Sunday won the T20 World Cup against South Africa in a nail-biter that broke a 12-year unsuccessful streak.

The Independent’s Arpan Rai has the story:

Hurricane Beryl has strengthened back into a Category 3 storm as it barrels toward the Yucatan Peninsula on Friday morning.

The hurricane is around 90 miles (140km) east-southeast of Tulum, Mexico, and is sustaining maximum winds of 115mph (185km/h).

The National Hurricane Center warned in their 1am CDT bulletin that conditions are soon to deteriorate for the Yucatan Peninsula, bringing hurricane-force winds, dangerous storm surge, and damaging waves expected to begin.

Beryl’s center is expected to make landfall on the Yucatan Peninsula later this morning, before emerging over the southwestern Gulf of Mexico tonight, then moving toward northeastern Mexico and southern Texas by the end of the weekend.

As Beryl crosses the Yucatan Peninsula, “rapid weakening” of the hurricane is expected, however, a “slow re-intensification” is also predicted as Beryl moves over the Gulf of Mexico.

Record-breaking hurricanes like Beryl — the earliest recorded Category 5 storm — are being driven in part by the climate crisis.

“It’s really scary stuff,” Steve Maximay, a climate and agriculture expert in Grenada, previously told The Independent.

”When you talk about Category 4 and 5, there are very few systems or protocols that can prepare you for that,” Maximay continued. “You can have resilient buildings but category five winds can move concrete structures.”

Hurricane Beryl’s growth into a Category 5 storm can be attributed to record-warm ocean temperatures. High water temperatures can contribute to sea level rise and hurt marine life in addition to fueling strong storms like Hurricane Beryl. Ocean temperatures will likely continue to rise even if we curb greenhouse gas emissions, according to NOAA.

Island nations are at the front lines of the climate crisis, given their vulnerability to violent storms and sea-level rise.

The Alliance of Small Island States, an organization designed to create a unified voice for small island nations to address the ongoing climate crisis, denounced the climate crisis and its impact on island nations.

“We continue to be sacrificed on the frontlines of a climate crisis we did not cause,” the statement said. “Our sea temperatures grow warmer, encouraging storms to strengthen at alarming speed and increasing the dire threat to our developing countries. The increased danger is evident for the world to see.”

“If the world does not stand with [Small Island Developing States] now, it is only a matter of time before we are all lost,” the alliance continued.

Sophie Powell, chief of advocacy for the United Kingdom-based non-profit Christian Aid, highlighted the role the climate crisis has played in Hurricane Beryl’s devastation.

“The people picking through the wreckage of such a devastating storm have done nothing to cause the climate crisis,” Powell said in a statement. “The carbon emissions of these small, low-lying islands are miniscule yet the consequences to their lives of climate breakdown are vast.”

Googlebox favorites Julie and Tom Malone have revealed they are stuck in Jamaica as Hurricane Beryl makes landfall.

The Channel 4 couple had oped for some sun and relaxation after jetting off to Jamaica for their summer holiday, but have instead got caught up in the Category 4 hurricane.

Beryl hit Jamaica earlier this week, with life-threatening rain, 145mph winds and storm surge, with the storm knocking down power lines in Portland.

The United Nations will put $4 million towards aid efforts in Jamaica, Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines in the wake of Hurricane Beryl, the BBC reports.

Earlier this week, the UN said officials in Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines are working closely with local leaders to help with recovery efforts.

“To date, Grenada and St Vincent’s and the Grenadines have reported hundreds of people in shelters,” a UN spokesperson said.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has asked for the international community to “show solidarity” with all the Caribbean countries in Hurricane Beryl’s path, the spokesperson said.