Hurricane Beryl Targets Mexico's Tourist Resorts After Devastating Caribbean Islands

Hurricane Beryl, now at Category 2 strength, is zeroing in on Mexico's top tourist resorts after leaving a deadly trail of destruction across several Caribbean islands. The storm battered Jamaica, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and northern Venezuela, resulting in at least 11 confirmed deaths. The Cayman Islands issued an all-clear as the storm passed, but Mexico's Yucatan peninsula, including tourist destinations like Tulum and Cancun, braced for impact.

Cancun's international airport canceled over 100 flights as tourists rushed to leave, and residents and businesses prepared for the storm's arrival. The U.S. National Hurricane Center forecasts Beryl to weaken over the Yucatan before potentially strengthening over the Gulf of Mexico. Mexico's defense ministry opened storm shelters, schools closed, and residents took precautions, while offshore oil operations in the Gulf of Mexico prepared for potential impact. Beryl's early arrival in the Atlantic hurricane season serves as a stark reminder of the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, attributed to human-caused climate change.