Weakened Hurricane Beryl hits Mexico after Caribbean destruction, expected to re-strengthen in Gulf

Hurricane Beryl struck the Mexican city of Tulum early Friday with winds of 100 mph. The Category 2 storm knocked out power “after leaving a trail of destruction” in the Caribbean, the Associated Press reported.

Beryl made headlines as the earliest Atlantic storm to reach Category 5 status but quickly lost steam after making landfall in Mexico.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center projects Beryl will quickly drop to tropical storm status as it traverses Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.

The agency also project that once Beryl reaches the Gulf of Mexico it will regain strength and its hurricane status.

The storm killed at least seven people across the southeast Caribbean, with four people reported missing, the wire service also reports.

The deadly storm's projected path takes it to northern Mexico along the Texas border. 

Beryl devastated parts of Barbados, Grenadines, Jamaica, and St. Vincent before making landfall in Mexico. The storm destroyed nearly all the homes on two islands, shuffled fishing boats, and knocked out power in Jamaica.

Mexican officials urged residents and tourists in Tulum to evacuate before Beryl struck the tourist destination, which sits less than 50 feet above sea level. Some residents and tourists chose to remain behind.

Lara Marsters of Boise, Idaho, decided to ride out the storm and stocked up on water.

“This morning we woke up and just filled all of our empty water bottles with water from the tap and put it in the freezer … so we will have water to flush the toilet,” Marsters told the AP.

Mexican officials set up shelters and attempted to evacuate residents in “a few highly exposed villages” along Beryl’s projected path, but those efforts were “only partially successful,” according to the AP.