The hurricane caused devastation in parts of the Windward Islands and is blamed in at least nine deaths as it approaches the Yucatán Peninsula.
by Phil Helsel, Patrick Smith and Mirna Alsharif | NBC NEWS
Beryl has weakened to a tropical storm after making landfall on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula as a strong Category 2 hurricane early Friday, but could gain strength again as it takes aim at Texas, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The Yucatán Civil Protection Department confirmed the storm touched down at 7.05 a.m. ET north of Tulum with winds of 108 mph and gusts of 136 mph. Forecasters warned that the storm would bringdamaging winds, storm surge of up to three feet and life-threatening surf and rip currents to the area.
Beryl weakened Friday afternoon as it moved over the northernYucatán Peninsula, where it is expected to be over the next few hours. The storm is forecast to continue to weaken as its center crosses the north of the peninsula Friday afternoon, before moving over the southwestern Gulf of Mexico at night and northeastern Mexico and southern Texas by the weekend.
But Beryl could re-intensify back into a hurricane as its center moves back over the Gulf, the National Hurricane Center said.
The storm has remained on the northern side of projected routes, increasing the chance of a landfall in Texas.
Earlier Friday,Beryl weakened from a Category 3 to a strong Category 2 storm, according to the National Hurricane Center, which warned that it still carried a serious, widespread risk.
“Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion,” the center said.
The hurricane is already blamed in nine deaths in Venezuela, Jamaica and the Windward Island nations of Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. It caused severe damage to many homes in Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, officials there said.
As of 3 a.m. E.T., Beryl was 77 miles west of the Yucatán Peninsula, the Civil Protection Department in Yucatán said. By 1 p.m.E.T., the hurricane was 65 miles east of Progreso, Mexico, on Yucatán’s north coast with 70mph winds with higher gusts, according to the National Hurricane Center. Beryl is moving westward at15 mph.
Up to 10 inches of rain is expected with some flash flooding possible on the peninsula. About 4 to 8 inches or more of rain is possible in parts of northeastern Mexico and South Texas come Sunday into next week, according to the hurricane center.
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“There is an increasing risk of strong winds, storm surge, and heavy rainfall in portions of northeastern Mexico and southern Texas late this weekend,” the center said.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said landfall is projected for Tulum and urged people to move to higher ground or shelter elsewhere.
“Let’s not hesitate, material things can be recovered. The most important thing is life,” he said on X on Thursday night.
The storm had weakened Thursday to a Category 2 but restrengthened later to Category 3, and by 10 p.m. it had maximum sustained winds of 115 mph.
Earlier Friday, hurricane warnings covered the east coast of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula fromPunta Allen to Cancún, including the island of Cozumel, the hurricane center said. All hurricane watches and warnings for the area have been discontinued as of Friday afternoon by the Meteorological Service of Mexico.
Beryl’s formation and strength set records. Scientists say the process of rapid intensification is becoming more common as climate change increases sea surface temperatures.
It was the first Category 4 hurricane on record to form in June and the earliest Category 4 storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. Before Beryl, Hurricane Dennis was the earliest, having formed on July 8, 2005.
When Beryl strengthened to a Category 5 storm with maximum sustained winds of 165 mph this week, it became the strongest hurricane ever recorded in July.
American tourists in Mexico are hunkering down and hoping the storm’s damage is not as bad as expected, while flights in and out of the region remain canceled.
Stae and Wallace Hall of Fort Worth, Texas, are staying at an all-inclusive resort in Cancún, just 40 miles north of Tulum, where Beryl is expected to make landfall early Friday.
“The wind is picking up just a little,” Stae Hall told NBC Dallas-Fort Worth on Thursday. “They are starting to remove some of the light posts, they’re starting to take some of the cabanas down off of the beaches.”
Anita Luis, a tourist from Dallas, Texas, told Reuters: “We’re worried about the hurricane and not just for us, but all the people who are traveling. We just want to go back home safely and pray the same for everybody else, but we’re just stranded here.”
Anyone stuck in a resort looking for a stiff drink to calm their nerves as Beryl passes overhead may be disappointed: The Halls said their hotel had stopped serving alcohol by order of the Mexican government.
“I just have to realize I have no control,” Stae Hall said. “Go into prayer mode. We’re going to go up to the buffet, get some snacks, get some fruit, maybe play some games and just try to pretend nothing is happening.”
