Hurricane Beryl struck Jamaica on Wednesday and moved across the Cayman Islands on Thursday, leaving a trail of destruction in the Caribbean, killing at least seven people, destroying homes and snapping trees in half.
The storm first hit the tiny island of Carriacou, part of Grenada, on Monday morning, devastating the island in just 30 minutes and causing extensive damage on the neighbouring island of Petite Martinique.
Carriacou is known for its coral reefs and diving spots, while Petite Martinique’s inhabitants work mainly in fishing and boat building. The two islands have a combined population of at least 9,000.
The storm was an unusual occurrence in an unusually busy storm season that stretches through the end of November. The storm, which strengthened into a Category 4 storm on Sunday, was the third major hurricane to form in the Atlantic in June and the first time a Category 4 had formed so early in the season.
The storm continues to break records, becoming the first Atlantic storm to strengthen to a Category 5 this early in the season. According to Philip KlotzbachA meteorologist at Colorado State University specializing in tropical cyclones.
The storm’s rapid intensification was both a direct result of warmer than normal sea surface temperatures and a harbinger of what could be to come this hurricane season, when rapid intensification can make hurricanes more dangerous as it gives people in affected areas less time to prepare and evacuate.
