(Bloomberg) — Hurricane Beryl made landfall on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula after sweeping across the Caribbean, bringing strong winds, dangerous storm surge and heavy rain.
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Beryl made landfall just northeast of Tulum, with maximum sustained winds near 110 miles per hour, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in a bulletin. Hurricane warnings are in effect along an area called the Mayan Riviera for its beaches and tourist ruins, with warnings stretching from the Costa Maya port to Cancun, including the island of Cozumel.
Local authorities evacuated residents from communities along the storm’s path. Tulum airport suspended operations and Cancún airport canceled flights, according to local media outlet El Universal. Classes have been canceled in the states of Yucatán and Quintana Roo, Laura Velázquez Alzúa, Mexico’s national civil protection coordinator, said at a press conference on Thursday.
Beryl has already left a trail of destruction across the Caribbean, and earlier this week its winds surpassed the five-level Saffir-Simpson scale, reaching rare Category 5 strength. It was the first Atlantic storm to do so, signaling a exceptionally active hurricane season as warm ocean waters feed tropical systems. The storm weakened after passing westward past Grenada and Jamaica, but still left widespread damage.
–With assistance from Robert Tuttle, Brian K. Sullivan, Maya Averbuch, Dan Murtaugh, and Shoko Oda.
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