Hurricane Beryl intensifies to category 5 storm – live updates today

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

Grenada’s prime minister Dickon Mitchell said one person had died and he could not yet say if there were other fatalities.

“We do hope there aren’t any other fatalities or any injuries,” he said. “But bear in mind the challenge we have in Carriacou and Petite Martinique.”

Authorities have not yet been able to assess the situation on the islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique, where there were initial reports of major damage but communications were largely down, he said.

Mr Mitchel added that the government will send people first thing on Tuesday morning to evaluate the situation on the islands.

Beryl made landfall in the Windward Islands as a category 4 storm, the earliest storm on record to reach that intensity.

Officials say they received “widespread reports of destruction”.

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

“In half an hour, Carriacou was flattened,” Mr Mitchell said.

Hurricane Beryl intensified to a category 5 storm after making landfall in the Windward Islands as it churned towards Jamaica.

The hurricane was located about 840miles (1,355km) east-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, packing maximum sustained winds of 160mph (260km/h), the National Hurricane Centre said.

Beryl is now only the second storm on record to reach the intensity of category 5 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 during the next day or so, but Beryl is expected to still be near major hurricane intensity as it moves into the central Caribbean and passes near Jamaica on Wednesday, the National Hurricane Centre said.

Flights were delayed and canceled at the Piarco International Airport in Trinidad and Tobago as Hurricane Beryl raged through the eastern Caribbean, leaving travelers stranded on Monday afternoon.

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

The model shows the storm potentially blowing into the Gulf Coast, near eastern Texas and Louisiana. However, meteorologists will not be able to make a definitive call about Hurricane Beryl’s potential impact on the US until it is much closer. This could take several days.

Residents in the Gulf Coast region should check with their local National Weather Service office for up-to-date weather information.

NOAA hurricane hunters said that the hurricane is moving “quickly across the southeastern Caribbean” in its 8pm EST update on Monday.

Beryl is moving WNW at 21mph, with top speeds of up to 155mph.

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

The warning came in the 8pm update on the storm.