Tropical Storm Beryl is blowing out to the Gulf of Mexico and appears likely to reach Texas within days after its strong winds and heavy rain largely spared Mexico’s top beach destinations.
The core of the storm, downgraded from a hurricane, crossed the Yucatan Peninsula with its maximum wind speeds slowing to around 105km/h after striking near the coastal beach resort of Tulum.
The storm, which at one point intensified to a massive Category 5 hurricane, left a deadly trail of destruction across the Caribbean earlier this week.
However, there were no casualties in Mexico, the head of the country’s civil protection agency Laura Velazquez said in a press conference on Friday afternoon local time.
While Beryl’s passage over Mexico’s states of Quintana Roo and Yucatan resulted in slower winds, the US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) still forecast dangerous storm surges in the surrounding area.
For those who hunkered down as Beryl churned overhead, a sense of relief prevailed.
“Holy cow! It was an experience!” said Mexican tourist Juan Ochoa, who was staying in Tulum.
“Really only some plants flew up in the air,” he said. “Thank God we’re all OK.”
Still, many in the area lost electricity, including 40 per cent of Tulum, said Guillermo Nevarez, an official with Mexico’s national electricity company CFE.
Civil protection chief Velazquez said she expected service to be restored in full by Sunday.
Among Mexico’s top tourist getaways, the Yucatan Peninsula is known for its white sand beaches, lush landscapes and Mayan ruins.
Stranded tourists camped out in Cancun’s international airport on Friday, unsure of when they would make it home.
Beryl, currently located over the port of Progreso in Mexico’s state of Yucatan, was expected to pick up intensity as it enters the Gulf of Mexico and is forecast to regain hurricane status and approach the western Gulf coast on Sunday.
A hurricane watch was in effect for the Texas coast from the mouth of the Rio Grande northward to Sargent, according to the NHC.
Mexico’s meteorological service issued a hurricane watch for the northeastern coast of Mexico from Barra el Mezquital to the mouth of the Rio Grande.
“There is an increasing risk of damaging hurricane-force winds and life-threatening storm surge in portions of northeastern Mexico and the lower and middle Texas Coast late Sunday and Monday where hurricane and storm surge watches have been issued,” the NHC said.
It warned flash and urban flooding were possible across portions of the Texas Gulf Coast and eastern Texas from Sunday through the middle of next week.
Rainfall of 12 to 25cm, with localised amounts of 38cm, is projected across portions of the Texas Gulf Coast and eastern Texas beginning late on Sunday.
Beryl was the first hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic season, and became the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record, with scientists pointing to its rapid strengthening as almost certainly fuelled by human-caused climate change.
Before reaching Mexico, Beryl wreaked havoc across several Caribbean islands.
It swept through Jamaica, Grenada, St Vincent and the Grenadines, in addition to unleashing heavy rainfall on northern Venezuela.
It has killed at least 11 people, tearing apart buildings while felling power lines and trees.
Destruction in the islands of Grenada was especially pronounced.
Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell pointed to major damage to homes in Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique.
Parts of the latter two islands suffered “almost complete devastation”, he said.
“Many of our citizens have lost everything.”
