Hurricane Beryl surged to Category 5 strength late Monday, wreaking havoc across the southeastern Caribbean with powerful winds and storm surges fueled by record warmth in the Atlantic.

It initially made landfall on Carriacou in Grenada as the earliest Category 4 storm in the Atlantic, later intensifying to Category 5, though forecasters expect fluctuations in its strength as it moves through the region.

Grenada’s Prime Minister, Dickon Mitchell, reported one death and significant damage on Carriacou and Petite Martinique, where communication remained limited.

Authorities planned assessments on Tuesday morning to evaluate the full extent of the damage across affected islands, from St. Lucia to Grenada, where debris, downed power lines, and agricultural devastation were widespread, the Associated Press has reported.

As Beryl continues its path, it is projected to skirt just south of Jamaica and move toward Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula by late Thursday as a Category 1 storm, having reached peak winds of 165 mph early Tuesday morning.

Written by B.C. Begley