Hurricane Beryl has continued to break records becoming the earliest ever recorded Category 4 storm.
As of 9PM the storm was located east of the Windward Islands and traveling WNW with maximum winds of 155 m.p.h. This is just 3 m.p.h. short of being a Category 5 storm. It could briefly reach that intensity overnight tonight before a general weakening trend is expected.
Earlier today Beryl slammed into the Windward Islands. The tiny island of Carriacou in the Grenadines with a population of 10,000 people took a direct hit. At one point the island was contained entirely within the eye as seen in the satellite image below. At this point wind gusts of 175 m.p.h. were possible in the eyewall. In addition to the wind, areas around the eye saw incredible rainfall amounts of 10-12″ in just 24 hours.
As Beryl continues to move WNW it is expected to gradually weaken as it moves towards the Yucatan Peninsula. All signs still point towards a landfall there on Friday. There remains a possibility of the storm impacting the South Texas coast but weather models currently keep it over land long enough to severely disrupt the circulation and the remnants are not expected to be strong if they make it that far north. Hurricane forecasting is extremely difficult, so stay tuned for any changes to that as a bend north is certainly not out of the question.
Stay with Now Habersham for the latest on this incredible storm.
