Hurricane Beryl Targets Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula

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Hurricane Beryl is now drenching Hispaniola en route to a potentially life-threatening strike on Jamaica and the Cayman Islands before facing an uncertain future in the Gulf of Mexico that could include impacts in Texas.

Current status: Beryl's eyewall continues to move quickly west-northwest in the eastern Caribbean Sea at Category 4 intensity well south of Hispaniola. That said, some bands of heavy rain have wrapped into the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

Beryl became the earliest hurricane to reach Category 5 strength on record in the Atlantic, over two weeks earlier than the previous record - Emily - from July 16, 2005. Check out our full recap of all the early-season records Beryl has smashed.

Here's where warnings and watches are in effect: A​ hurricane warning has been issued for Jamaica and the Cayman Islands and a hurricane watch is now in effect for both southern Hispaniola. Additional alerts could be issued on Wednesday.

A​ hurricane watch has been issued for much of the eastern coast of Mexico's Yucatan peninsula. To the south, a tropical storm watch has been issued as far south as Belize City in Belize.

A​reas under hurricane warnings should rush preparations to completion. Areas under hurricane watches should make sure their hurricane plans are ready to go.

Here's what to expect next from Beryl across the Caribbean: Beryl will take a west-northwest track in the Caribbean Sea through the rest of this week. Although the hurricane will eventually lose intensity because of increasingly hostile wind shear, it will still pose a considerable danger. Here's the general timeline:

• T​hrough Early Wednesday: B​eryl's outer impacts, including bands of flooding rain, some storm surge flooding and occasional strong winds will continue to brush southern Hispaniola.

• Wednesday: Beryl is expected to strike Jamaica with destructive winds, life-threatening storm surge flooding near the coast and torrential rainfall triggering flash flooding and landslides before moving away late Wednesday night. This could be the strongest hurricane to strike Jamaica in almost 17 years, since Hurricane Dean in 2007.
• T​hursday: Beryl is forecast to make its closest approach as a hurricane to the Cayman Islands, particularly Grand Cayman, with storm surge flooding, high winds and heavy rain.
• F​riday: Beryl is expected to make a landfall as a hurricane in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, anywhere from the Belize border and Costa Maya to Cancún. Storm surge flooding, potentially damaging winds and flooding rain are all possible.

(​MORE: What The Forecast Cone Means, And Doesn't)

U.S. concern: Beryl is likely to emerge in the southwest Gulf of Mexico this weekend after being steered by a heat dome of high pressure over the Southeast U.S.

T​here is considerable uncertainty in Beryl's future after that.

T​hat Southeast U.S. upper-level heat dome is expected to both weaken and retreat off the Southeast coast, leaving a gap between that and a Western U.S. heat dome.

Because of that, a​n increasing number of computer forecast models are suggesting Beryl could eventually curl toward the northwest or north in the western Gulf of Mexico. That opens the door to a track anywhere from eastern Mexico's Gulf Coast to Texas early next week.

Beryl should have lost strength by the time it reaches the southwest Gulf because of wind shear and land interaction, however it could still bring significant impacts to the Gulf Coast as either a tropical storm or hurricane. Some restrengthening is possible.

R​esidents along the Gulf Coast from eastern Mexico to Texas should, for now, monitor the forecasts in the coming days.

C​oastal threats could begin this weekend: Well ahead of Beryl, onshore winds could lead to increasing surf, rip currents and coastal flooding along parts of the Gulf Coast from eastern Mexico to Texas and western Louisiana beginning as soon as Saturday, and continuing until Beryl's final landfall. The rip current threat could even extend farther east along the northern Gulf Coast, as well.

K​eep this in mind if you have holiday weekend beach plans along these stretches of the coastline.

J​ust a couple of weeks ago, Tropical Storm Alberto triggered significant coastal flooding along the Texas coast.

Recap Of Beryl's Historic Windward Islands Landfall

Beryl made landfall just after 11 a.m. EDT Monday over the Grenadan island of Carriacou with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph. Among only two other Category 4 hurricanes in history near Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Beryl was the strongest by wind speed.

(​MORE: All The Ways Beryl Has Already Made History)

Storm reports: S​torm chasers Brandon Clement and Jonathan Petramala reported the roof ripped off of a building they were reporting from on Carriacou Island late Monday morning as the eyewall moved in. The National Hurricane Center's 11 a.m. EDT Monday advisory cited "multiple reports of downed trees, flooded streets, power outages and storm surge flooding in the Grenadines, Grenada, Barbados and Tobago."

After briefly weakening to a Category 3 overnight following an eyewall replacement cycle, the hurricane once again returned to Category 4 strength Monday morning.

I​ts wind field grew larger since Sunday, with hurricane-force winds now extending out up to 40 miles from Beryl's center.

While its eyewall passed south of Barbados, a 69 mph gust was clocked early Monday at Grantley Adams International Airport, the island's major airport. Grenada clocked a wind gust up to 121 mph as the center of Beryl tracked just north of the island. A gust to 64 mph was reported on St. Lucia, as well.

B​eryl has strengthened since that strike on Carriacou Island.

M​ORE ON WEATHER.COM

-​ Why Hurricane Season's More Active Phase May Arrive Earlier

-​ How To Prepare For Hurricane Season

-​ What's Been Deadliest In US Hurricanes, Tropical Storms Lately May Surprise You