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U.S. forecasters reported Tuesday that Hurricane Beryl continues moving quickly across the Caribbean and is expected to remain a powerful storm Wednesday as it nears Jamaica, where a hurricane warning remains in effect.
In its latest report, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said Beryl is 780 kilometers (485 miles) east-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, with its maximum sustained winds slightly lower at 250 kilometers per hour (155 miles per hour). It continues moving to the west-northwest at an estimated 35 kph (22 mph).
During a briefing, National Hurricane Center Director Michael Brennan said Beryl's outer bands were bringing rain into Puerto Rico and portions of the Dominican Republic.
He said forecasters expect the core of the storm to pass just south of the coast of Haiti throughout the day Tuesday and into the evening. A hurricane watch and a tropical storm warning are in effect for the southern coast of Haiti.
Brennan said the latest data from the hurricane hunter aircraft that has flown into the hurricane shows the storm's central pressure has slowly risen while the peak winds have diminished slightly.
Nonetheless, Brennan said Beryl will be a major hurricane when it nears Jamaica Wednesday, and forecasters are most concerned about damage it could cause there.
"We are expecting the core of a major hurricane to pass near or over the island during the day," Brennen said. The hurricane center is expecting a storm surge of 1.5 to 2.4 meters (5 to 8 feet) above normal tide levels.
Brennan said there is concern about harbors around Kingston on the island's south side, which are expected to see significant wave action. He said they are also expecting the possibility of life-threatening flooding due to heavy rainfall and the potential for devastating impacts if the eyewall of Beryl moves over the island.
Meanwhile, the White House, on its X account, said U.S. President Joe Biden is closely monitoring Hurricane Beryl and connecting with officials, including at the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. They said the administration is ready to support the people of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the region, and they urged residents to heed local guidance.
The hurricane center said Beryl's current forecast track has the storm reaching the Cayman Islands Thursday and approaching Mexico's Yucatan peninsula late Thursday, when it is expected to still be a hurricane.
The government of the Cayman Islands has issued a hurricane watch, and a tropical storm warning is in effect for the south coast of Hispaniola, the island that is home to Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Beryl grew from a tropical storm to a major hurricane in 42 hours, which has only happened six times in the recorded history of Atlantic hurricanes. The hurricane is also the earliest to reach Category 4 status in the region as well as the earliest to reach Category 5 strength. Hurricane Dennis became a Category 4 storm on July 8, 2005.
Beryl is the second named storm in the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season. 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.