Hurricane Beryl lashes Mexico’s Yucatan, makes landfall near Tulum

Hurricane Beryl made landfall near Tulum, Mexico early Friday (July 5) as a Category 2 storm with 110 mph winds.

The hurricane, which hit Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Jamaica and the Cayman Islands this week, lashed Mexico’s Yucatan coastline in the early morning, impacting tourist hotspots like Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel and Tulum.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) has warned people in the area to shelter from the "life-threatening conditions" the storm will bring over the course of the day.

Up to 10 inches of rain is also expected with some flash flooding possible on the peninsula.

READ MORE: Cruise ships change course as Beryl hammers the Caribbean

According to reports, Mexican authorities have taken measures to prepare, closing local beaches and schools while advising hotels to board up windows.

The BBC reports that hundreds of tourists have been evacuated from hotels across the peninsula's coastline and more than 3,000 people have fled Holbox Island, just off the coast.

More than 300 flights to the area have reportedly been cancelled or delayed.

The storm is expected to weaken as it swirls over the Yucatan Peninsula and move to the Gulf of Mexico this evening.

But there’s a chance the system will remain a major hurricane, with potential to hit southern Texas and Louisiana over the weekend, according to the U.S. National Weather Service.

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has warned that the North Atlantic could get as many as seven major hurricanes this year – up from an average of three in a season.

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