Beryl Makes Landfall on Mexico’s Yucatan With Hurricane Wind

(Bloomberg) — Hurricane Beryl barreled into Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula after sweeping through the Caribbean, bringing strong winds, dangerous storm surge and heavy rain.

Beryl made landfall just northeast of Tulum, with maximum sustained winds near 110 miles per hour, the US National Hurricane Center said in a bulletin. Hurricane warnings are in effect along an area dubbed the Mayan Riviera for its touristy beaches and ruins, with alerts stretching from Costa Maya port to Cancun, including the island of Cozumel.

Local authorities have evacuated residents from communities along the storm’s path. Tulum airport suspended operations and Cancun’s airport canceled flights, according to local media outlet El Universal. School was canceled in the states of Yucatan and Quintana Roo, Laura Velázquez Alzúa, Mexico’s national coordinator for civil protection, said at a press briefing Thursday.

Beryl has already left a trail of destruction through the Caribbean, and earlier this week its winds topped the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, achieving a rare Category 5 strength. It was the earliest Atlantic storm to do so, signaling an unusually active hurricane season as hot ocean waters fuel tropical systems. The storm weakened after sweeping westward past Grenada and Jamaica, but still left widespread damage.

The storm is expected to weaken before it crosses the southern Gulf of Mexico and hits near the US state of Texas, becoming a tropical storm and depression into Wednesday.

–With assistance from Robert Tuttle, Brian K. Sullivan, Maya Averbuch, Dan Murtaugh, Shoko Oda and Elizabeth Elkin.

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