MEXICO CITY — Hurricane Beryl, now a Category 3 storm with sustained winds of 120 mph, is tracking toward the Yucatan Peninsula and expected to make landfall near Tulum by early Wednesday, forcing the evacuation of coastal resorts and threatening the region’s crucial tourism infrastructure. Mexico’s National Meteorological Service warned of storm surges of up to 10 feet and urged residents in low-lying coastal areas to relocate to higher ground immediately. Hotels in Cancun and the Riviera Maya began lockdown procedures, cancelling flights and securing guest rooms as the outer bands of the storm approached.
The federal government deployed 4,500 military personnel to the Yucatan and QRoo states, while the Health Ministry activated 12 hospitals across the region with emergency medical teams standing by. Cruise lines including Carnival and Royal Caribbean diverted ships to ports farther north, leaving thousands of tourists stranded at airports as airlines cancelled flights in and out of the peninsula. The Energy Ministry ordered the precautionary shutdown of the Dos Bocas oil refinery in Tabasco, one of Mexico’s most important processing facilities, though operations were expected to resume once the storm passes.
This is the earliest Category 3 Atlantic hurricane on record, surpassing the previous mark set in 1932. Meteorologists at the U.S. National Hurricane Center say abnormally warm sea surface temperatures in the Caribbean — running 2 to 3 degrees Celsius above seasonal averages — are driving the unusually rapid intensification as Beryl moved west-northwest at 18 mph. Officials in Quintana Roo declared a pre-landfall emergency declaration and ordered the closure of all public schools and non-essential government services through Thursday.
Written by Diego Vargas, Latin America Correspondent