What Was Hurricane Beryl?
Hurricane Beryl was the second hurricane, and the first major hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season. While known for doing vast amounts of damage to several states in the United States, and also hitting several parts of Canada, it also had a noticeable impact on Grenada, Jamaica, Mexico, Saint Vincent & the Grenadines, and Venezuela, while also hitting several other countries. At the time this article was written (March 2026), it holds the record for being the earliest forming category 4 and the earliest forming category 5 in Atlantic hurricane history, having formed on June 28th, with most hurricanes, especially the most powerful, forming in August and September.
When Was Hurricane Beryl?
Hurricane Beryl lasted from June 28th to July 11, 2024. It formed as a tropical depression on the 28th and then rapidly got more powerful. By the morning of the 29th, it had become a tropical storm, and by the 30th, it had strengthened all the way to becoming a category 3 hurricane, still with plenty of strength yet to gain. It maintained storm status while going all the way north through America, and hitting Ontario, southern Quebec, and even Atlantic Canada, where it finally faded, causing some flooding in Nova Scotia.
How Powerful Was Hurricane Beryl?
Hurricane Beryl, at its most powerful, reached the highest grade on the Saffir-Simpson Scale, category 5. It hit its peak wind speed of 270 km/h (165 mph) when it was over the Caribbean, and slowly lost strength until it was at tropical depression levels by the time it hit Ontario.
What Path Did Hurricane Beryl Take?
Hurricane Beryl started as a tropical wave off the coast of West Africa that slowly made its way west across the Atlantic. It first made landfall in Grenada as a category 4 storm, before also hitting the Greater Antilles Island and Jamaica, before hitting the mainland North America when it hit Mexico, with the southern portion of the storm hitting Venezuela. States that suffered significant damage include Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan and New York. By the time it entered Ontario, it had lost hurricane strength.
Where In Canada Did Hurricane Beryl Hit?
Ontario, Quebec, and the Maritimes were all hit by Hurricane Beryl’s remnants. Local flooding occurred in Ontario, and there were 2 EF0 tornadoes spotted in London, Ontario, due to the storm. In Quebec, the most significant damage was 9000 people in Montreal, who lost power. It also caused plenty of flooding in Nova Scotia.
How Many People Did Hurricane Beryl Kill And Injure?
A total of 73 people were killed by Hurricane Beryl, one of them being from Canada. The one Canadian killed was a young boy in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. He was swept into a water-filled ditch, where he unfortunately drowned.
How Much Damage Did Hurricane Beryl Do?
Hurricane Beryl did a total of just north of $9 billion worth of damage, over $7 billion of which was in the United States. There is no exact number of how much was done to Canada.
How Did The Public Respond To Hurricane Beryl?
Millions of dollars in aid were sent to help, mostly to the Caribbean. The name Beryl has now also been retired from use, to be replaced with Brianna, which will enter use during the 2030 Atlantic Hurricane season.
