Carriacou, an island in Grenada, experienced winds reaching up to 150 mph (240 km/h), which tore off roofs and caused damage, according to officials.
The National Hurricane Center described the situation as highly dangerous and life-threatening.
Hurricane warnings were issued for Barbados, Grenada, St. Lucia, Tobago, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, prompting thousands of people to stay in their homes or shelters, hoping for a positive outcome.
Ralph Gonsalves, the prime minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, anticipated severe conditions ahead of the storm and advised people to stay indoors and wait for the storm to pass.
The most recent powerful hurricane to strike the southeastern Caribbean was Hurricane Ivan nearly two decades ago, resulting in the deaths of dozens of people in Grenada.
Earlier on Monday, Beryl was located 125 miles (200 km) east and southeast of Grenada. It had maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (193 km/h) and was moving west at 20 mph. The storm was relatively small, with hurricane-force winds reaching 35 miles from its center.
Martinique and Trinidad were under a tropical storm warning, while a tropical storm watch was issued for Dominica, the entire southern coast of Haiti, and from Punta Palenque in the Dominican Republic to the Haiti border.
Forecasters cautioned about a potentially deadly storm surge reaching up to 9 feet (3 meters) in areas where Beryl is expected to hit land. They also predicted rainfall amounts of 3 to 6 inches (7.6 to 15 cm) for Barbados and nearby islands, with some areas possibly receiving up to 10 inches, particularly in Grenada and the Grenadines.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami described the situation as highly dangerous.
The storm was predicted to slightly weaken as it moved over the Caribbean Sea. Its projected path would take it just south of Jamaica and then towards Mexico's Yucatán peninsula as a category 1 hurricane.
The National Hurricane Center stressed that Beryl is expected to maintain its strength as a significant hurricane throughout its journey across the Caribbean region.
Beryl intensified from a tropical depression to a major hurricane in only 42 hours, a rare occurrence that has happened just six other times in Atlantic hurricane records. According to hurricane expert Sam Lillo, this has happened as early as September 1st.
It was also the earliest recorded category 4 Atlantic hurricane, surpassing Hurricane Dennis, which reached category 4 status on July 8, 2005.
Hurricane specialist and storm surge expert Michael Lowry emphasized that Beryl poses a significant threat to the Windward Islands. He cautioned that when Beryl makes landfall, the situation will be very serious.
Beryl gained strength from unusually warm ocean waters, which are currently warmer than they typically are even during the peak of hurricane season in September. Experts attribute these warmer temperatures to the global climate crisis, largely caused by the burning of fossil fuels.
According to Philip Klotzbach, a hurricane researcher at Colorado State University, Beryl set a record as the easternmost hurricane to form in the tropical Atlantic during June, surpassing a record set in 1933.
Beryl is the second named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which spans from June 1st to November 30th. Earlier this month, Tropical Storm Alberto hit northeastern Mexico and caused the deaths of four people.
SOURCE: The Guardian