 Beryl shortly after peak intensity over the eastern Caribbean Sea on July 2 | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | June 28, 2024 |
| Extratropical | July 9, 2024 |
| Dissipated | July 11, 2024 |
| Category 5 major hurricane | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
| Highest winds | 165 mph (270 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 934 mbar (hPa); 27.58 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 73 (66 direct, 7 indirect) |
| Damage | >$8.06 billion (2024 USD) |
| Areas affected |
|
| IBTrACS | |
Part of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season | |
| Effects Other wikis • Commons: Beryl images | |
Hurricane Beryl (/ˈbɛrɪl/, BEHR-ril)[1] was a deadly and destructive tropical cyclone that impacted parts of the Caribbean, the Yucatán Peninsula, and the Gulf Coast of the United States in late June and early July 2024. It was the earliest-forming Category 5 hurricane on record and the second such storm in the month of July, the other being 2005's Hurricane Emily. Beryl was also the strongest hurricane to develop within the Main Development Region (MDR) of the Atlantic before the month of July. The second named storm, first hurricane, first major hurricane, and first of two Category 5 hurricanes of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, Beryl broke many meteorological records for the months of June and July, primarily for formation and intensity.
Beryl developed from a tropical wave that left the coast of Africa on June 25. After forming on June 28 in the Main Development Region, it began rapidly intensifying as it moved west through the central tropical Atlantic. On July 1, Beryl made landfall on the island of Carriacou, Grenada, as a high-end Category 4 hurricane, causing total devastation. The hurricane intensified further as it entered the Caribbean Sea, peaking as a Category 5 hurricane early the next morning with maximum sustained winds of 165 mph (270 km/h) and a minimum central pressure of 934 mbar (27.58 inHg), before slowly weakening over the next few days due to wind shear as it passed south of Jamaica and then the Cayman Islands. It briefly re-intensified into a Category 3 hurricane before weakening again as it made landfall in Tulum, Quintana Roo, as a high-end Category 2 hurricane on July 5. After weakening into a tropical storm over the Yucatán Peninsula, the system moved into the Gulf of Mexico, where it gradually reorganized into a Category 1 hurricane on July 8, just before making its final landfall near Matagorda, Texas. Beryl slowly weakened over land as it accelerated to the northeast, eventually becoming post-tropical over the state of Arkansas on July 9 and dissipating over Ontario on July 11.
Damage and casualties from the hurricane were widespread. Beryl caused catastrophic damage on Grenada's northern islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique and on several of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines' southern islands, such as Union Island and Canouan. In Venezuela, six people were killed and one person went missing as a result of the storm. Sustained damage was also recorded in the Yucatán, although it was generally limited to trees, power poles, and roofs, as well as some flooding. In the United States, the state of Texas experienced severe flooding and wind damage, which left 42 dead in the Houston region.[2] Additionally, the outer bands of the hurricane produced a prolific tornado outbreak, with tornadoes confirmed in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Indiana, Kentucky, New York, and Ontario. As of November 7, a total of 73 fatalities have been confirmed, and preliminary damage estimates are more than US$8.06 billion.
- ^ "Atlantic Basin Storm Name Pronunciations" (PDF). National Hurricane Center. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
- ^ Grunau, Sarah (July 30, 2024). "Houston area Hurricane Beryl death toll spikes to 36, at least one other death pending". Houston Public Media. Retrieved August 9, 2024.