Kingston: The 'potentially catastrophic' Hurricane Beryl is gaining its strength rapidly as it intensified into a Category 5 storm and is posing a significant threat as it proceeds towards Jamaica. The storm has already caused extensive damage, downing power lines and flooding streets on various Caribbean islands, and continues to gain strength.
According to the US National Hurricane Centre, Beryl packed winds of up to 257 kph and was about 840 miles (1,352 km) east-southeast of Kingston, the Jamaican capital as of 3 am GMT (8:30 am IST) on Monday. The storm could dump 4 inches to 8 inches (10 cm to 20 cm) of rain on Wednesday, rising to as much as 12 inches (31 cm) in some areas, it said.
Jamaica issued a hurricane warning on Monday, while tropical storm warnings were in effect for parts of the southern coasts of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Across other islands in the eastern Caribbean, residents had boarded up windows, stocked up on food and fuelled up cars as the storm approached.
How did Hurricane Beryl get its name?
The hurricane was named by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), which has come up with unusual names in the past like Hurricane Idalia. It is derived from the Greek word beryllos - which means the colour of the sea. It also comes from beryllium, a sea-green mineral or sea stone.
A name is retired and replaced when a storm with the same name causes extensive property damage and loss of life. In that regard, Beryl is the second name for a hurricane in 2024 after Alberto, and the next hurricane would be named Chris. Over eight Atlantic Ocean tropical cyclones in the last 42 years have been named Beryl, one of them becoming a Category 1 storm in 2018 - also known as Hurricane Beryl.
All named storms are a form of tropical cyclone. The identification of this year's Hurricane Beryl as well as its name occurred on Saturday, when its sustained wind speed reached over 62 kph. In 2018, Hurricane Beryl weakened before reaching any land in the Caribbean and caused no casualties, but this year's storm became the fastest-developing hurricane in history, beating Hurricane Audrey in 1957.
Precautions over Hurricane Beryl 2024
While Hurricane Beryl 2018 did not cause any casualties, three tropical systems with the same name have caused deaths in 1982, 1988, 1994, 2000 and 2012. With 2024 becoming the strongest Atlantic storm, officials are taking precautions to prevent loss of life and limit damage.
Jamaica issued a hurricane warning on Monday, while tropical storm warnings were in effect for parts of the southern coasts of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Across other islands in the eastern Caribbean, residents had boarded up windows, stocked up on food and fuelled up cars as the storm approached.
Global warming has helped push temperatures in the North Atlantic to all-time highs, causing more surface water to evaporate, which in turn provides additional fuel for more intense hurricanes with higher wind speeds. Scientists surveyed by Reuters see the powerful hurricane Beryl as a harbinger of an unusually active hurricane season made possible by record high temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean.
(with inputs from Reuters)
