Meteorologist/Reporter
kalain.hosein@guardian.co.tt
The eyewall of Hurricane Beryl scraped Jamaica’s southern coastline yesterday, bringing “devastating” winds of 240 kilometres per hour and a “life-threatening” storm surge between six and nine feet, with rainfall totals as high as 12 inches (300 millimetres), according to the National Hurricane Centre (NHC).
After continuing its trail of destruction across the Caribbean, the powerful Category 4 hurricane moved just south of the Cayman Islands last night, where a Hurricane Warning was in effect.
Today, it is aiming for the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico.
Beryl maintained Category 4 strength in the face of strong wind shear and dry air—conditions that usually cripple tropical storms and hurricanes. Forecasters attribute Beryl’s tenacious ability to maintain its strength to the record warmth of the Caribbean Sea, which has occurred across the Atlantic for the last few months.
Based on current average sea-surface temperatures, the Atlantic Basin, which includes the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, closely resembles what the sea surface temperatures would look like in September, during the peak of the hurricane season when ocean temperatures are at their warmest.
This record warmth comes at a time when, for several consecutive months, the globe has consistently recorded record-warm months and years. This record warmth is attributed to a warming planet due to the unabated use and burning of fossil fuels, which produce greenhouse gases that warm the globe.
Although Beryl has a warmer-than-average ocean ahead of it as it moves west, the National Hurricane Centre says moderate wind shear will lead to some weakening.
However, Beryl should remain a hurricane as it makes landfall and weaken into a tropical storm as it moves into the Gulf of Mexico this weekend.
A Hurricane Warning is in effect for the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico from Puerto Costa Maya to Cancun, with a Hurricane Watch and Tropical Storm Warning for the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico south of Puerto Costa Maya to Chetumal and north of Cancun to Cabo Catoche. A Tropical Storm Watch is also in effect for Belize’s coastal areas.
After Beryl moves into the Gulf of Mexico, the NHC said Beryl may restrengthen into a hurricane as it nears northern Mexico and southern Texas this weekend.
Invest 96L brings
gusty winds, floods
to areas of Windwards
An active tropical wave, tracked by the NHC as Invest 96L, moved across the Windwards, including Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados, yesterday, bringing periods of heavy rainfall and gusty winds to an area still cleaning up after Hurricane Beryl’s passage on Monday.
According to the Barbados Meteorological Service, a Flash Flood Warning was issued yesterday morning across Barbados as “periods of heavy to intense showers and thunderstorms” occurred across the island.
Similarly, forecasters warned the public of strong winds, flooding, and landslides in St Vincent and the Grenadines, where many remain homeless following the Category 4 system.
Yesterday, wind gusts between 50 and 60 miles per hour, just below those observed during Hurricane Beryl, were observed in St Lucia and Barbados.
In Dominica, strong winds led to a small single-engine Cessna aircraft crash on takeoff at the Canefield Airport, just on the outskirts of the capital, on Wednesday. The pilot and his wife escaped unhurt. The authorities have since launched an investigation into the incident.
In Tobago, continued rainfall led to 19 more reports of fallen trees, seven roof-related incidents, one report of flooding, and a landslide.
BOX
Beryl’s rainfall replenishes some reservoirs
Heavy rainfall associated with Hurricane Beryl generally stayed north as forecast, predominantly affecting Tobago and the northern half of Trinidad.
However, despite the heavy rainfall, reservoir levels have not markedly improved across the nation’s two largest reservoirs, with significant replenishment at the Hillsborough Reservoir in Tobago.
Based on data taken yesterday, the Caroni Arena Dam, the country’s largest dam, remains the lowest at 23.43 per cent capacity, compared to the 58.9 per cent long-term average for this time of year.
Navet Reservoir has the second-lowest current capacity, at 24.69 per cent, compared to the 50.47 per cent long-term average.
Compared to the last update on June 27, 2024, before the rains began, Hollis Reservoir, located in the Northern Range, increased from 22.63 per cent to now 36.23 per cent, compared to a long-term average of 45.72 per cent, increasing by approximately 142.2 million imperial gallons.
Meanwhile, the Hillsborough Reservoir, the smallest of T&T’s four major reservoirs, increased from 33 per cent last Wednesday to 63.2 per cent yesterday, compared to a long-term average of 69.9 per cent, increasing by approximately 67.8 million imperial gallons.
The Caroni/Arena Dam and Navet Reservoir recorded a 0.41 per cent and 8.33 per cent decline, accounting for a decrease of 410 million imperial gallons and 349.9 million imperial gallons of water, respectively.
On June 27, WASA extended the current Water Use Restrictions for another month through July 31, 2024, due to “continued low water levels at our reservoirs, a lack of rainfall, and reduced water availability.”
In their climate outlook released yesterday, the Trinidad and Tobago Meteorological Service said, “Mostly average rainfall totals are expected from July to September, with moderate chances for usual number of wet days and a moderate chance for flooding to occur.”