Beryl is earliest storm on record to reach Category 5 in the Atlantic.

The top-tier storm is expected to sideswipe Jamaica on Wednesday on its way to Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula.

Hurricane Beryl, unprecedented for its rate of strengthening, intensity and extremely unusual position for this time of year, morphed into a Category 5 monster on Monday night as it strengthened further into the strongest Atlantic storm ever observed during the month of July.

After making landfall Monday on Grenada’s Carriacou Island, it’s now churning west in the Caribbean, and is still managing to intensify. Maximum sustained winds are at 165 mph. Beryl is expected to gradually weaken in the days ahead, but the National Hurricane Center still expects “life-threatening winds and storm surge” in Jamaica on Wednesday, as well as probable impacts in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula by Friday.

Beryl’s remarkable strength is driven by favorable weather and a background of human-driven climate warming. Relaxed high-altitude winds, spreading of air aloft and the presence of an antecedent tropical wave all made for the formation of a hurricane — but record-warm water temperatures, reminiscent of September, helped transform the storm into a top-tier tempest.

There is a strong, well-documented link between the effects of human-induced climate change and the development of stronger, wetter storms that are more prone to rapidly intensify. Beryl sprung from a tropical depression to a Category 4 hurricane in just 48 hours, the fastest any storm on record has strengthened before the month of September.

Meteorologists expect the remainder of 2024’s hurricane season to be extremely active or hyperactive. Weak winds aloft, which make it easier for storms to form, will be paired with broad ascent (rising motion) over the Atlantic. Both of those factors can be tied to a budding La Niña weather pattern. Coupled with red-hot sea surface temperatures running 2 to 4 degrees above average, it’s no surprise that more storms, and more intense storms, are expected to crop up in the months ahead.

Where Beryl is now and could go next

As of 8 a.m. Eastern time, the center of Hurricane Beryl was located 300 miles east-southeast of the Dominican Republic’s Isla Beata. The storm was moving quickly west-northwest at 22 mph.

Jamaica is under a hurricane warning, while hurricane watches cover Grand Cayman, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac.

Tropical storm warnings are in effect for the south coasts of Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Beryl is expected to still be near or at major hurricane strength — so a high-end Category 2 or perhaps a Category 3 hurricane — as it impacts Jamaica on Wednesday and the Cayman Islands on Thursday. Then it’s expected to hit Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula.

Key things to know about Beryl’s impact so far

Beryl made landfall on Grenada’s Carriacou Island during the midday hours Monday, laying siege to the island. Heavy damage has been reported.