Hurricane Beryl's eye is currently passing just south of Jamaica, delivering the most powerful impact from a hurricane to the country in more than 15 years. The center of the hurricane is approximately 20 miles south of Jamaica, yet it is still unleashing its strongest winds and heavy rainfall over the island.
The southern portions of Jamaica are experiencing hurricane-force sustained winds, with tropical storm-force wind gusts reaching up to 67 mph in the capital city of Kingston. Despite the proximity of the storm, Beryl is tracking slightly too far south to make landfall in the country. For a hurricane landfall to occur, at least half of the storm's center must cross over land. Nevertheless, the effects remain the same, with destructive winds, flooding rain, and significant storm surge.
The last major hurricane to come this close to Jamaica was Hurricane Dean in 2007. Dean, a powerful Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 145 mph, passed just south of Jamaica in August 2007. The storm resulted in two fatalities in Jamaica and caused damage to numerous weather observation instruments on the island, as reported by the National Hurricane Center.
