Beryl Becomes Earliest Ever Category 5 Hurricane in Atlantic

Hurricane Beryl has strengthened after becoming the earliest ever Category 5 storm in the Atlantic, with the system heading toward Jamaica with life-threatening winds and heavy rainfall.

Maximum sustained winds increased to 165 miles (270 kilometers) per hour with higher gusts, the US National Hurricane Center said. Category 5 is the highest level on the Saffir-Simpson scale, and Beryl is only the second storm on record to reach the threshold in July, according to the agency.

The Atlantic Hurricane season is running ahead of the pace usually seen at this time of the year, with three storms already in the books. Beryl formed between the Caribbean and the Cabo Verde Islands — a stretch of ocean called the main development region — that doesn’t usually become active until late August.

Fluctuations in strength are likely, but Beryl is expected to still be near major hurricane intensity as its moves into the central Caribbean and passes near Jamaica on Wednesday, the weather agency said. The other Category 5 system to occur in the Atlantic basin during July was Emily in 2005.

“Unfortunately, Beryl is breaking records that were set in 1933 and 2005 – two of the busiest Atlantic hurricane seasons on record,” said Phil Klotzbach, a senior research scientist at Colorado State University. It likely points to a hyper-active season, he added.

Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 40 miles from the center, and storm surge could raise water levels by as much as 3-to-5 feet above normal tide levels in areas along the coast of Jamaica, the agency said.

Beryl made landfall earlier on Carriacou Island, the second-largest of Grenada’s islands. Authorities reported widespread damage and one death, but Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell said the port and international airport will be able to resume operations Tuesday. Power was being partially restored.

“To some extent we dodged a bazooka,” Mitchell said. “We have to count our blessings.”

A Category 5 storm can result in total roof failure and wall collapse, and power outages that can last for weeks to possibly months, according to the US agency. Typically the first hurricane arrives in the Atlantic by Aug. 11 and the first major storm — Category 3 or stronger on the Saffir-Simpson scale — comes by Sept. 1, according to the hurricane center.