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Hurricane Beryl has again strengthened into a dangerous Category 4 storm and made landfall on Grenada's Carriacou Island, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Hurricane warnings were in effect for Barbados, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Tobago. A hurricane watch is in effect for Jamaica.
Tropical storm warning and watches were also posted for other islands in the Caribbean.
In Bridgetown, the capital of Barbados, cars lined up at gas stations while shoppers filled supermarkets seeking food, water and supplies. Some homeowners boarded up their properties.
The hurricane had winds up to 240 kph when it made landfall on Carriacou.
Beryl has been a compact storm, with hurricane-force winds projecting 55 kilometers from the center.
Beryl had gained Category 4 strength on Sunday before weakening slightly and then regaining power. Further fluctuations in strength are forecast.
The National Hurricane Center and the Central Pacific Hurricane Center called the storm "extremely dangerous."
Beryl grew from a tropical storm to a major hurricane in merely 42 hours, which has only happened six other times in the history of hurricanes in the Atlantic. The hurricane is also the earliest to hit Category 4 status in the region. Hurricane Dennis became a Category 4 storm on July 8, 2005.
"Only five major (Category 3+) hurricanes have been recorded in the Atlantic before the first week of July," hurricane expert Michael Lowry posted on social media platform X.
"It's going to be terrible," said Ralph Gonsalves, prime minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Hurricane Ivan, the last powerful hurricane that hit the Caribbean, killed dozens in Grenada.
Forecasters have predicted a storm surge of up to three meters in some areas. They have also noted 7.6-15 centimeters of rain and possibly 25 centimeters in some regions.
Although the storm is yet to make landfall in Barbados, officials there have had more than a dozen reports of roof damage, fallen trees, and downed power lines.
Some officials have also planned controlled electricity shutdowns and are expecting water outages. They are encouraging people to find shelter as the storm may trigger landslides and flash flooding. Schools, airports, and government offices have been closed.
After the storm passes, drones will be used to assess damage, a much faster process than manual assessment by crews on the ground.
There is also a concern of further thunderstorms - or a possible tropical depression - following the main event.
Beryl is the second named event in the hurricane season for the Atlantic. Tropical Storm Alberto hit northeastern Mexico in June, killing four people.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has warned of an above average hurricane season.
Some information in this report came from the Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
The Voice of America provides news and information in more than 40 languages to an estimated weekly audience of over 326 million people. Stories with the VOA News byline are the work of multiple VOA journalists and may contain information from wire service reports.