Hurricane Beryl (, BEHR-ril) was an extremely rare and destructive tropical cyclone that impacted parts of the Caribbean, the Yucatán Peninsula, and the Gulf Coast of the United States in late June and early July 2024. The second named storm, first hurricane, first major hurricane, and first Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson scale of the extremely active 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, the system broke many meteorological records, primarily for formation and intensity. Beryl was one of only two Atlantic hurricanes to reach Category 5 hurricane status in July, along with Emily in 2005. Beryl was both the earliest-forming Category 4 and Category 5 hurricane on record in the Atlantic Ocean, and the strongest hurricane to develop within the Main Development Region of the Atlantic before the month of July.
Beryl developed from a tropical wave that left the coast of Africa on June 25. After forming on June 28 in the Main Development Region, it began rapidly intensifying as it moved west through the central tropical Atlantic. On July 1, Beryl made landfall on the island of Carriacou, Grenada, as a Category 4 hurricane, causing significant damage. The hurricane intensified further as it entered the Caribbean Sea, peaking as a Category 5 hurricane early the next morning with maximum sustained winds of 165 mph (270 km/h) and a minimum central pressure of 932 mbar (27.52 inHg). Over the next few days, Beryl slowly weakened due to wind shear as it passed south of Jamaica and then the Cayman Islands. It briefly re-intensified into a Category 3 hurricane before weakening again as it made landfall in Tulum, Quintana Roo, as a high-end Category 1 hurricane on July 5. After weakening into a tropical storm over the Yucatán Peninsula, the system moved into the Gulf of Mexico, where it gradually reorganized into a Category 1 hurricane on July 8, just before making its final landfall near Matagorda, Texas. Beryl slowly weakened over land as it accelerated to the northeast, eventually becoming post-tropical over the state of Arkansas on July 9 and dissipating over Ontario on July 11.
Damage and casualties from the hurricane were widespread. Beryl caused catastrophic impacts on Grenada's northern islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique, damaging or destroying 99% of buildings on the former and 70% on the latter. Several of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines' southern islands, such as Canouan, Mayreau, and Union Island, had 80%-90% of dwellings damaged to some degree. On Barbados, Beryl damaged more than 200 boats and about 40 homes. In the Venezuelan state of Sucre, the Manzanares River overflowed, flooding more than 6,000 homes. Landslides and rough seas destroyed some structures in the Dominican Republic, while the hurricane damaged crops, dwellings, and infrastructure on Jamaica. The Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico also sustained damage from the hurricane, although it was generally limited to downed trees and power lines and damaged roofs; there was also widespread flooding. In the United States, the state of Texas experienced severe flooding and wind damage, while about 2.7 million people lost electricity. Additionally, the hurricane and its remnants produced a prolific tornado outbreak, with 68 tornadoes confirmed in the United States and 2 in Ontario. Overall, Beryl caused 73 deaths, including 48 in the United States, 8 in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 6 each in Grenada and Venezuela, 4 in Jamaica, and 1 in Canada. Additionally, Beryl inflicted at least $9.05 billion in damage, with $7.2 billion in the United States, $995 million in Jamaica, $231 million in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, $218 million in Grenada, $96.5 million in Barbados, $90 million in Mexico, $2.1 million in the Cayman Islands, and $2 million in Saint Lucia. Due to extensive damage and casualties, the World Meteorological Organization retired the name Beryl after the season, and was replaced by Brianna starting from the 2030 season.
A tropical wave emerged off the coast of West Africa on June 23, producing disorganized showers south of Cabo Verde. By the evening of June 27, the satellite presentation of the disturbance was beginning to show some organization, with curved bands developing around a broad circulation. Environmental conditions at the time were described as being "unusually conducive" for tropical cyclogenesis across the central and western tropical Atlantic for late June, with near record-warm sea surface temperatures (SST) of about 82 °F (28 °C), light wind shear of 6–12 mph (9–19 km/h), plus high mid-level relative humidity of around 70%. The disturbance developed further over the next day, with persistent thunderstorm activity occurring. The tropical wave developed into a tropical depression at 12:00 UTC on June 28 about 1,380 mi (2,220 km) east of Barbados. The depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Beryl by 00:00 UTC on June 29, with thunderstorms organizing into a central dense overcast, with a symmetric cloud pattern surrounded by rainbands.
Continuing its rapid intensification, Beryl became a hurricane on June 29 as the inner core of the thunderstorms developed into an eye. Beryl intensified into a Category 3 major hurricane around 12:00 UTC on June 30 and a Category 4 hurricane six hours later. An eyewall replacement cycle then weakened Beryl to a Category 3 hurricane early on July 1, but it regained Category 4 strength six hours later once the cycle was completed. At 15:10 UTC the same day, Beryl made landfall in Carriacou, Grenada, with winds of 140 mph (220 km/h). After entering the Caribbean, Hurricane Hunters found that Beryl further intensified into a Category 5 hurricane early on July 2 and soon peaked with winds of 165 mph (270 km/h) a minimum pressure of 932 mbar (27.5 inHg), recorded by a dropsonde about 510 mi (820 km) east-southeast of Beata Island.
Increasing wind shear led Beryl to begin weakening later on July 2 as it passed well south of Hispaniola, falling to Category 4 intensity. Beryl passed 15–25 mi (30–35 km) south of southern Jamaica late on July 3 and early on July 4. Around 12:00 UTC on the latter date, the cyclone weakened to a Category 2 hurricane southeast of the Cayman Islands. Beryl briefly regained major hurricane status early on July 5 but quickly weakened back. At 11:00 UTC, the storm struck Mexico near Tulum, Quintana Roo, as a Category 1 hurricane with winds of 90 mph (150 km/h). Beryl fell to tropical storm status before reaching the Gulf of Mexico later on July 5. That night and into the next day, in addition to a broader inner core, Beryl was beset by an infusion of dry air and by moderate wind shear which kept the storm from strengthening appreciably. Even so, by the afternoon of July 6, its convective structure had improved and become more persistent. Beryl turned to the north-northwest on July 7, and slowed to 10 mph (17 km/h). Early on July 8, Hurricane Hunters showed Beryl became a Category 1 hurricane before striking near Matagorda, Texas, at 08:40 UTC with winds of 90 mph (150 km/h). While crossing Greater Houston, Beryl weakened to a tropical storm at 18:00 UTC and turned northeastward. Around 00:00 UTC on July 9, the cyclone weakened to a tropical depression, about 12 hours before becoming extratropical over Arkansas. The extratropical remnants crossed the Midwestern United States and southern Ontario before being absorbed near Buffalo, New York by a frontal system on July 11.
Beryl is the easternmost hurricane to form in the tropical Atlantic in June – 41.9°W, beating the mark set by the 1933 Trinidad hurricane – 58.9°W. Additionally, on June 30, it became the earliest Category 4 hurricane on record in the basin, surpassing the previous record set on July 8, 2005, by Hurricane Dennis, and the strongest June hurricane as measured by wind speed, surpassing Hurricane Audrey of 1957. It later became the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record, surpassing the record set on July 16, 2005, by Hurricane Emily, as well as becoming the strongest July hurricane on record by wind speed, and the highest accumulated cyclone energy-generating storm before August.