Hurricane Beryl: Power cuts and flooding reported in Jamaica

Hurricane Beryl has hit Jamaica, bringing with it powerful winds and rain which is flooding parts of the island and damaging homes.

After first making landfall in Grenada, Beryl has swept through Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago and St Vincent and the Grenadines this week.

It's currently a category four storm, with winds of up to 130mph (215km/h).

Jamaica's Prime Minister Andrew Holness said on Wednesday afternoon that nearly 500 people had been moved to shelters for their safety.

Big wanes could be seen off the coast of Kingston, Jamaica

A hurricane warning is now in effect in Jamaica, and the authorities have imposed a curfew, meaning residents can't leave their homes from 06:00 to 18:00 local time (11:00-23:00 GMT).

US National Hurricane Center Director, Dr. Michael Brennan said: "Everybody in Jamaica needs to be in their safe place and be prepared to stay there for at least the next 12 hours."

Barbados, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago and St Vincent and the Grenadines were among the first countries hit on Monday as the storm was declared a top-level category five storm, resulting in heavy rain and winds of up to 160 miles (260 kilometres) per hour.

Around 90% of homes on Union island - which is part of St Vincent and the Grenadines - were destroyed or severely damaged as a result of the hurricane.

In Mexico, where Hurricane Beryl is expected in the coming days, residents in Cancún on the East Coast have rushed to supermarkets to stock up on supplies, leading to empty shelves in some areas.

People are stocking up ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Beryl

Why is Hurricane Beryl worrying weather experts?

The hurricane has so far clocked powerful wind-speeds of around 160 miles (260 kilometers) per hour, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).

Hurricane Beryl was the earliest category five storm ever recorded in the Atlantic on record, with experts saying such a powerful storm forming this early in the Atlantic hurricane season is extremely rare.

The US National Hurricane Center has shared this map which shows what route they think Beryl will take, and how strong it will be - with red being the strongest and green the weakest.

Colin McCarthy, an extreme weather scientist, posted on his social media: "We have never seen such a strong hurricane this early in the season.”

Michael Lowry, a hurricane expert, wrote on social media that it was "astonishing" to see a category three-or-more storm forecast "anywhere in the Atlantic, let alone this far east in the deep tropics" so early in the season.

What is a hurricane and how do they form?

Nasa shared this picture of hurricane Beryl moving across the Caribbean from space

Hurricanes are tropical storms that form over the North Atlantic Ocean and Northeast Pacific.

They form when air is heated by warm sea water, making it rise quickly.

As the air cools down again, it is pushed aside by more warm air rising below it.

This cycle causes strong winds and storm clouds to form.

Tropical storms have winds faster than 73 miles an hour.

What are hurricane categories?

In the United States, hurricanes are classified on a scale of 1-5 with Category 5 being the most intense.

That's based on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, which looks at factors including the storm's sustained wind speed.

Storms reaching Category 3 and above are considered "major hurricanes" and significant weather events because of their potential for damage to property and loss of life.

Here is the hurricane category definition according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA):

• Category one hurricane - wind speeds of 74-95 mph - Very dangerous winds will produce some damage.

• Category two hurricane - wind speeds of 96-110 mph - Extremely dangerous winds will cause extensive damage.

• Category three hurricane - wind speeds of 96-110 mph - Devastating damage will occur.

• Category four hurricane - wind speeds of 130-156 mph - Catastrophic damage will occur.

• Category five hurricane - wind speeds of 157 mph or higher - Catastrophic damage will occur.

When is hurricane season?

This picture shows a storm surge hitting Miami from Hurricane Irma in 2017.

According to the NOAA, the official hurricane season for the Atlantic basin begins on 1 June - 30 November, with most taking place between mid August to mid-October.

The Atlantic basin includes the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico.

Using data from more than 30 years, scientists at NOAA worked out that the average Atlantic hurricane season has 14 named storms, seven hurricanes, and three major hurricanes (Category 3, 4, or 5).

However, this year the NOAA has warned that there could be up to 25 named storms in 2024.

The first named storm usually forms towards the end of June, with the first hurricane forming early to mid-August, and the first major hurricane in late August or early September.

So Hurricane Beryl is unusual as the storm has formed so early in the season.

How long do hurricanes last?

This picture from 2005 shows some of the damage done by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was thought that around 80 percent of New Orleans was covered by flood waters at this time. The damage done by Katrina was thought to cost around $125 billion, making it one of the costliest natural disasters in US history.

Most hurricanes calm down fairly quickly once they move over land.

This is because once hurricanes reach land, or colder water, they lose touch with the warm water that powers them, weakening them and eventually breaking them apart.

According to the UK Met Office weather experts, this is why hurricanes don't form in the UK.

However the UK did once experience 'hurricane force winds' in The Great Storm of 1987, which uprooted more than 15 million trees and caused widespread damage to people's homes and roads.

The damage caused to towns and cities hit by hurricanes, can cost billions of pounds and many years to recover from.