Hurricane Beryl makes landfall on Grenada island of Carriacou, says US National Hurricane Center

Powerful hurricane Beryl which transformed into a Category 4 storm made landfall on the Caribbean island of Carriacou on Monday, creating 'life-threatening conditions' such as catastrophic winds, according to US National Hurricane Center.

Meanwhile, the US weather tracker warned residents to remain sheltered as the "extremely dangerous eyewall" moved over the island, which is part of Grenada.

"This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation. Residents should not leave their shelter and remain in place through the passage of these life-threatening conditions," the NHC said.

The office of the prime minister of Grenada shared a video on Facebook showing large waves and intense winds causing damage across the tri-island state.

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Grenada Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell called on citizens to quickly find shelter and adhere to an island-wide curfew from 7:00 pm to 7:00 am Tuesday morning.

The formation of such a powerful storm this early in the Atlantic hurricane season, which spans from early June to late November, is considered extremely uncommon.

"Only five major (Category 3+) hurricanes have been recorded in the Atlantic before the first week of July. Beryl would be the sixth and earliest this far east in the tropical Atlantic," said hurricane expert Michael Lowry.

Meanwhile, officials in Barbados reported that despite being hit by high winds and heavy rain, the island appeared to have escaped major damage, with no injuries reported so far.

Additionally, several Caribbean islands, including Barbados, Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Tobago, were under hurricane warnings, while Jamaica, Martinique, Trinidad, St Lucia, and parts of the Dominican Republic and Haiti were under hurricane watch or tropical storm warnings.

A state of emergency was declared in Tobago, with schools closed on Monday, according to top official Farley Augustine. The Caribbean regional bloc CARICOM also postponed a meeting scheduled to take place in Grenada this week.

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted an "extraordinary" hurricane season in late May, with up to seven storms of Category 3 or higher primarily due to warm Atlantic Ocean temperatures and conditions associated with the La Nina weather phenomenon in the Pacific.