Hurricane Beryl tracker shows storm's path toward Jamaica, the Cayman Islands

Hurricane Beryl was downgraded from a Category 5 storm to Category 4 Tuesday, after unleashing winds of 160 mph as it moved through the Caribbean, but Beryl continues to bring "life-threatening wind and storm surge" to residents in its path.

At least three people died after after Beryl reached the Carriacou Island in Grenada Monday with 150-mph winds that destroyed homes in the country, as well as Union Island in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Damage occurred in 90% of homes across the islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique.

The storm became the earliest recorded Category 5 hurricane ever surpassing the previous record by more than two weeks. The record was previously held by Hurricane Emily on July 17, 2005.

The National Hurricane Center said Beryl will remain a powerful threat as it continues on a west-northwest path at nearly 22 mph.

Is Hurricane Beryl going to hit Jamaica?

Hurricane Beryl is forecast to pass over near Jamaica on Wednesday bringing "life-threatening winds and storm surge," the NHC said.

Forecasters expect the storm surge along the Jamaican coast to be anywhere from 5 to 8 feet high with dangerous winds. The center advised residents to prepare as soon as possible.

"Winds are expected to first reach tropical storm strength early on Wednesday,'' the NHC said, "making outside preparations difficult or dangerous.''

Up to 12 inches of rain is possible in isolated parts of the country and the Barahona Peninsula in the southwest Dominican Republic. Both flash flooding and mudslides are possible.

Will Beryl reach the Cayman Islands

Beryl is forecast to pass near the Cayman Islands on Thursday, bringing torrential rain that could possibly raise water levels by 2 to 4 feet above normal tide levels, forecasters say.

A hurricane watch was issued for the southern coast of Haiti on Tuesday with tropical storm conditions forecast for the country and the Dominican Republic. Officials urge anyone in the Cayman Islands, Belize, the Yucatan Peninsula and the Gulf to closely monitor Beryl's path.

While the storm is expected to weaken later in the week, Beryl is still forecasted to remain at hurricane strength in the northwestern Caribbean.

Hurricane Beryl path tracker

This forecast track shows the most likely path of the center of the storm. It does not illustrate the full width of the storm or its impacts, and the center of the storm is likely to travel outside the cone up to 33% of the time.

Hurricane Beryl spaghetti models

Illustrations include an array of forecast tools and models, and not all are created equal. The hurricane center uses only the top four or five highest performing models to help make its forecasts.

Atlantic storm tracker

Contributing: Gabe Hauari, Susan Miller, John Bacon, Jorge L. Ortiz, Dinah Voyles Pulver & Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY; Cheryl McCloud, USA TODAY-Network Florida

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Is Hurricane Beryl going to hit Jamaica? Track storm's projected path