~ Hurricane warning issued for Jamaica ~
MIAMI, Florida--Hurricane Beryl was said to be moving quickly away from the southern Windward Islands on Monday night and will continue westward to west-north-westward during the next few days, according to the US National Weather Service (NWS) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in its 8:00pm Atlantic Standard Time report.
At that time, the centre of Hurricane Beryl was located near latitude 13.4 North, longitude 64.0 West, or about 575 miles (925 kilometres (km)) east-south-east of Isla Beata, the Dominican Republic, and about 910 miles (1,460km) east-south-east of Kingston, Jamaica.
Beryl was moving toward the west-north-west near 21 miles per hour (mph) (33km/h) at 8:00pm Monday, and according to the report, the centre of Beryl was forecast to move across the southeastern and central Caribbean Sea on Monday night through Tuesday, and to pass near Jamaica on Wednesday.
The government of Jamaica has issued a Hurricane Warning for the island, and hurricane conditions are expected to reach the coast within the warning area on Wednesday afternoon. Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion before the arrival of conditions that make outside preparations difficult or dangerous.
NOAA Hurricane Hunters indicated that maximum sustained winds had increased to near 155mph (250km/h) with higher gusts, making Beryl a strong category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Fluctuations in strength are likely during the next days, but Beryl is expected to remain an extremely dangerous major hurricane as its moves over the eastern Caribbean. Some weakening is expected in the central Caribbean by midweek, though Beryl is forecast to remain a hurricane.
Hurricane-force winds extended outward up to 40 miles (65km) from the centre as of 8:00pm Monday, and tropical-storm-force winds extended outward up to 125 miles (205km).
The minimum central pressure measured by the NOAA Hurricane Hunter dropsonde data was 938 millibars (27.70 inches).
Tropical storm conditions are expected in the warning area along the south coast of Hispaniola by late today, Tuesday. The south coast of the Dominican Republic from Punta Palenque westward to the border with Haiti, and the south coast of Haiti from the border with the Dominican Republic to Anse d'Hainault are under Tropical Storm Warnings.
The NHS warned that storm surge could raise water levels by as much as two to four feet above normal tide levels in areas of onshore winds along the immediate coast of Jamaica; and by one to three feet above ground level along the southern coast of Hispaniola.
Hurricane Beryl was expected to produce rainfall totals of three to six inches across the Windward Islands through Monday evening, while localised maxima of 10 inches were said to be possible, especially in the Grenadines and Grenada, with the potential for flash flooding in
vulnerable areas.
Large swells generated by Beryl will continue across the Windward and southern Leeward Islands during the next couple of days. Swells were also expected to reach the southern coasts of Puerto Rico and Hispaniola late Monday night into Tuesday. These swells
are expected to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.
Tropical Storm Warnings have been discontinued for St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Martinique and St. Lucia, but Interests elsewhere in the Cayman Islands and the remainder of the northwestern Caribbean should closely monitor the progress of Beryl, the NHS stated, adding that additional watches or warnings might be required Monday night or today, Tuesday.
