Mexico's coast battered by Hurricane Beryl

Hurricane Beryl has struck Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula after causing significant destruction across the Caribbean. The storm, currently a category two hurricane, hit the region's coastline on Friday morning, putting two million residents and popular tourist destinations like Cancún and Tulum at risk. Beaches have been closed, and thousands of troops have been deployed to assist as the storm impacts the southeast shoreline. The US National Hurricane Center has warned people in the area to seek shelter from the 'life-threatening conditions' expected throughout the day.

In the Caribbean, at least ten people have died, and many are missing. Roofs have been ripped off buildings, and thousands of homes are without power. Emergency measures are being taken across the Yucatán Peninsula, including closing popular tourist beaches. Mexican authorities have prepared the coastline for the hurricane by closing schools, boarding up hotel windows, and setting up emergency shelters for locals and tourists. Residents in Cancún have rushed to supermarkets to stock up on supplies, with some encountering empty shelves. More than 8,000 troops from the army, air force, and national guard have been deployed to support the population. Some were seen patrolling the beaches on Thursday, urging people to leave. Hundreds of tourists have been evacuated from hotels along the peninsula's coastline, and more than 3,000 people have fled from Holbox Island, according to local authorities. Over 300 flights have been canceled or delayed.

Anita Luis, a tourist from Dallas, Texas, told Reuters on Thursday, 'We just want to go back home safely and pray the same for everybody else, but we're just stranded here. ' Meanwhile, Virginia Rebollar, a Mexican tourist who traveled to Tulum with three family members, said, 'They canceled our flight, and we had to pay for two extra nights. We have some fear, but we are convinced that people are prepared and know what to do,' she told AFP. Shoppers flocked to supermarkets in Cancún as the hurricane approached on Tuesday.

Hurricane Beryl has also broken records. It is the first hurricane to reach category four in June since NHC records began and the earliest to hit category five in July. The storm's record-breaking nature has brought attention to the role of climate change. While the causes of individual storms are complex, exceptionally high sea surface temperatures are seen as a contributing factor.

King Charles III expressed his profound sadness over the destruction caused by the hurricane in the Caribbean, affecting several Commonwealth islands. The Royal Navy has sent an aid ship to the Cayman Islands to support communities damaged by the hurricane. Earlier in the week, Hurricane Beryl caused significant devastation across other Caribbean nations, with about 90% of homes on Union Island, part of St Vincent and the Grenadines, destroyed or severely damaged.

As Hurricane Beryl moves over land, it is expected to weaken rapidly and be downgraded to a tropical storm, according to BBC Weather. Despite this, up to 10 inches of rain could still fall, causing possible flash flooding. The storm will then travel over the Gulf of Mexico on Friday evening, moving towards northeastern Mexico and southern Texas by the end of the weekend. By the time it makes landfall on Sunday evening, the storm is expected to have strengthened back to a hurricane. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has advised residents near the state's Atlantic coast to 'keep an eye on the gulf' and 'have an emergency plan to take care of yourself and your loved ones. ' The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has warned that the North Atlantic could see as many as seven major hurricanes this year, up from an average of three in a season.