Hurricane Beryl headed our way?

It’s a monster — Hurricane Beryl. Now identified as the strongest Category 5 hurricane on record this early in the hurricane season, which runs from June 1 through Nov. 30, Beryl promises nothing but bad news for those caught in its path.

Sure, the Rio Grande Valley and northern Mexico need water, a lot of it, in fact, to refill the record-low reservoirs, but if Beryl is the answer to our drought dilemma, what a price to pay for the fix if indeed it makes land anywhere close.

According to the National Hurricane Center, most hurricanes usually don’t form until late July or early August. In fact, as of Tuesday, there was already another storm forming to the east of Beryl.

Another first: It took Beryl only 42 hours to strengthen from a tropical depression to a major hurricane — a feat accomplished only six other times in Atlantic hurricane history, and with Sept. 1 as the previous earliest date. (Source: CBS News.)

All of which is why Beryl is now being called “historic” by weather analysts.

The Risk

As of Tuesday morning, according to most weather forecasters, the risk to South Texas and northern Mexico will most likely be better known by Friday, based on where exactly the massive storm hits along the Yucatan Peninsula, which is expected to occur either late Thursday night or early Friday morning.

If Beryl hits the southern part of the peninsula, along with northern Belize, the forecasters say, then chances are better it will track more westerly, limiting the damage to the RGV, but causing havoc around the Vera Cruz area.

The question as of Tuesday morning is now whether or not it will hit Jamaica and the Caymans or slide south?

This Monday, Beryl was already a Category 5 hurricane as it slammed into the Windward Islands, laying low St. Vincent, Grenada, and the Grenadines with killer winds that peaked at 160 mph, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC).

By definition, a Cat 5 hurricane is one with winds that exceed 157 mph, capable of blowing away most things caught in their path.

On the island of Grenada, for example, speaking about Carriacou, a nearby island with a population of approximately 10,000, Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell said in a news conference Tuesday, “In half an hour, Carriacou was flattened.”

The massive storm also has the capacity to dump 4 inches to 8 inches of rain on Wednesday, rising to as much as 12 inches in some areas, according to the NHC.

The next two or three days will paint a better picture of where Beryl will end up, according to NHC.

If Hurricane Beryl slides north of the Yucatan Peninsula and shoots the gap known as the Yucatan Channel, situated between Mexico and Cuba, and ends up in the Gulf of Mexico, South Texas, northeast Mexico will be more at risk (devastating winds, flooding); but as of today (Wednesday), the computer models still don’t have a clue as to where the massive hurricane will ultimately land as it still tracks west/northwest.

What a hurricane season this promises to be, and not in a good way, other than our desperate need for water.

State officials, local officials are all advising the same thing: don’t wait until the last minute to draft a plan of action; and don’t wait until the last minute to get sand bags, food that you can eat without the need to cook, bottled water in case the water taps don’t work, what to do to keep infirm family and relatives safe, and what to do with outdoor animals.

Beryl is historic, and this hurricane season promises to be historic.