BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - Hurricane Beryl has strengthened to Category 5 status as it crosses islands in the southeastern Caribbean. Beryl ripped off doors, windows and roofs in homes across the southeastern Caribbean on Monday.
It had been the earliest Category 4 storm in the Atlantic, fueled by its record warm waters.
Grenada's Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell said late Monday that one person had died and authorities had not been able to assess the situation on some hard-hit islands.
Early Tuesday, Beryl's winds increased to 165 mph.
Fluctuations in strength were likely in the coming days. Beryl was moving west-northwest. It was forecast to pass near Jamaica on Wednesday.
