Tropical Storm Beryl spares top Mexican beaches after furious Caribbean trek

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Beryl leaves Mexico's Yucatan mostly unscathed

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At least 11 dead in Caribbean islands, Venezuela

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Beryl expected to pick up intensity in Gulf of Mexico

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Parts of Grenada suffered 'almost complete devastation'

(Adds tourist quote in paragraph 5-6, power cuts in Tulum in paragraph 7, comments from Grenada PM in paragraphs 17-18)

By Paola Chiomante and Jose de Jesus Cortes

CANCUN/TULUM, Mexico, July 5 (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Beryl passed over Mexico's top beach destinations on Friday, bringing strong winds and heavy rain but without leaving major damage, after forging a deadly trail of destruction across the Caribbean.

The core of the storm, downgraded from a hurricane, crossed the Yucatan Peninsula by Friday afternoon, as its maximum wind speeds slowed to around 70 mph (113 kph) after it struck near the coastal beach resort of Tulum in the morning.

While Beryl's passage over Mexico's Quintana Roo and Yucatan states resulted in slower winds, the U.S. National Hurricane Center still forecast dangerous storm surges in the surrounding area.

For those who hunkered down as Beryl churned overhead, a sense of relief prevailed.

"Holy cow! It was an experience!" said Mexican tourist Juan Ochoa, who was staying in Tulum.

"Really only some plants flew up in the air," he said. "Thank God we're all OK."

While major damage has not been reported in Mexico, many in the area have lost electricity, including 40% of Tulum, said Guillermo Nevarez, an official with Mexico's national electricity company CFE, speaking to local broadcaster Milenio.

Among Mexico's top tourist getaways, the Yucatan Peninsula is known for its white-sand beaches, lush landscapes and Mayan ruins.

While "rapid weakening" is expected as it moves further inland and crosses the peninsula on Friday, according to the NHC, Beryl is expected to pick up intensity once it enters the Gulf of Mexico.

Beryl was the first hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic season. It became this week the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record, with scientists pointing to its rapid strengthening as almost certainly fueled by human-caused climate change.

Beryl is about 65 miles (105 km) east-south-east of the port of Progreso and a short distance inland from Merida, the colonial-era capital of Yucatan state.

The slow-moving storm churned northwest at just 15 mph (24 kph) by midday, according to the NHC.

Mexico's national water commission, CONAGUA, flagged a risk of flooding around the tourist hubs, as well as in neighboring Campeche state.

Quintana Roo schools were closed, as were local beaches, and officials lifted a temporary ban on alcohol sales.

Before reaching Mexico, Beryl wreaked havoc across several Caribbean islands. It swept through Jamaica, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, in addition to unleashing heavy rainfall on northern Venezuela. It has claimed at least 11 lives, tearing apart buildings while felling power lines and trees.

Destruction in the islands of Grenada was especially pronounced.

Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell pointed to major damage to homes in Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique during a video briefing Thursday night. Parts of the latter two islands suffered "almost complete devastation," he said.

"Many of our citizens have lost everything."

The NHC predicts that Beryl will move toward northeastern Mexico and south Texas later in the weekend.

Mexico's major oil platforms, primarily located in the southern rim of the Gulf of Mexico, are not expected to be affected or shut down, but some oil projects in U.S. waters to the north had been temporarily paused due to Beryl's expected path.

Research by the ClimaMeter consortium determined that climate change significantly intensified Beryl. According to the study, the storm's severity, along with its associated rainfall and wind speed, saw an increase of 10-30% as a direct result of climate change.

(Reporting by Jose de Jesus Cortes in Tulum, and Paola Chiomante in Cancun; Additional reporting by Raquel Cunha in Tulum, Raul Cortes Fernandez and Sarah Morland in Mexico City and Natalia Siniawski in Gdansk; Editing by Barbara Lewis, Tomasz Janowski and Rod Nickel)