Hurricane Beryl is moving toward the Yucatan Peninsula as a Category 2 storm after pounding the Cayman Islands, while a fast-moving tropical wave was located over the Eastern Caribbean Sea Thursday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Beryl lashed the southern coast of Jamaica Wednesday as a Category 4 hurricane with 140-mph winds.
Beryl has weakened to a Category 2 hurricane with 110 mph winds. While weakening is forecast, it is still expected to be a hurricane when it hits the Yucatan Peninsula early Friday.
The tropical wave, Invest 96L, was producing some disorganized shower and thunderstorm activity. Chances of development of this system are low through the next seven days.
As of the National Hurricane Center’s 5 p.m. advisory, the center of Hurricane Beryl was located near latitude 19.5 North, longitude 84.3 West.
Beryl is moving toward the west-northwest near 20 mph. A westward to west-northwestward motion is expected during the next day or two, with the center expected to make landfall over the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico early Friday. Beryl is expected to emerge over the southwestern Gulf of Mexico Friday night and move northwestward across the southwestern Gulf on Saturday.
Maximum sustained winds are near 110 mph with higher gusts. Slow weakening is forecast before the center makes landfall, with additional weakening expected while Beryl crosses the Yucatan Peninsula. Slow re-intensification is expected when Beryl moves over the Gulf of Mexico.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 30 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 160 miles. The latest minimum central pressure estimated from Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter data is 974 mb.