Beryl strengthened into a hurricane on Saturday as it moved toward the southeastern Caribbean, and forecasters warned it was expected to become a major, dangerous hurricane before reaching Barbados late Sunday or early Monday.
It is considered a major hurricane Class 3 or higherwith winds of at least 111 mph. Beryl is currently a Category 1 hurricane.
A hurricane warning has been issued for Barbados, St. Lucia, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, while a tropical storm warning has been issued for Martinique, Dominica and Tobago. A hurricane warning has been issued for Barbados, St. Lucia, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, while a tropical storm warning has been issued for Martinique, Dominica and Tobago.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
It has been more than fifty years since a pre-Fourth of July hurricane appeared in the Atlantic Basin. Alma Florida Keys Hit on June 8, 1966, according to Weather Underground.
“It’s amazing to see a major hurricane forecast for June anywhere in the Atlantic, let alone so far east in the deep tropics. #Beryl is hastily organizing over the warmest waters ever recorded in late June,” expert Florida resident hurricanes. Michael Lowry posted on social media.
Beryl is the second storm with a name in what is expected to be busy hurricane seasonWhich lasts from June 1 to November 30 in the Atlantic Ocean. Last week, Tropical Storm Alberto Bring Heavy flooding in parts of south Texas and northeastern Mexico. It was responsible for at least four deaths in the Mexican states of Nuevo Leon and Veracruz.
According to CBS News weather producer David Parkinson, Beryl is the furthest eastward hurricane to form in June, and one of only two to form east of the Caribbean, the other example occurring in 1933.
Parkinson expects Beryl to remain south of Jamaica, and expects that any impacts on the United States could be at least eight days away.
Beryl’s center is expected to pass about 26 miles south of Barbados, said Sabo Best, director of the island’s meteorological service.
Hurricane Beryl was located about 720 miles east-southeast of Barbados on Saturday, with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph. It was moving west at 22 mph.
“The hurricane is now expected to rapidly strengthen,” the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said.
Atmospheric scientist Tomer Borg noted that Beryl was just a tropical depression with winds of 35 mph on Friday.
“This means that according to preliminary data, Beryl already met the criteria for rapid intensification before becoming a hurricane,” he wrote on X.
Warm waters fuel the beryl, with ocean heat content in the deep Atlantic Ocean being the highest on record at this time of year, according to Brian McNoldy, a tropical meteorologist at the University of Miami.
Beryl is also the strongest June tropical storm ever recorded this far east in the tropical Atlantic, according to Klotzbach.
“We need to prepare. You and I know that when things like this happen, it’s best to plan for the worst and pray for the best,” Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley said in a public address late Friday.
She noted that thousands of people are in Barbados for the Twenty20 Cricket World Cup final, which India beat South Africa on Saturday in the capital Bridgetown. It is considered the biggest event in cricket.
Some fans, like Shashank Mosco, a 33-year-old doctor who lives in Pittsburgh, were rushing to change flights to leave before the storm.
Moscow has never been in a hurricane before: “I don’t plan to be in a hurricane either.”
He and his wife, who were cheering for India, learned about Brill thanks to a taxi driver who mentioned the storm to him.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, said in a public address on Saturday that shelters would open on Sunday evening, and urged people to prepare. He ordered officials to refuel government vehicles, and asked grocery stores and gas stations to stay open later in the storm.
“There will be such a rush… if you keep limited hours,” he said, apologising in advance for the government’s interruption of radio stations with storm updates. “Cricket fans have to bear with us that we will have to provide information… This is life or death.”
Beryl is the second storm in what is expected to be a busy hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30 in the Atlantic Ocean. Earlier this month, Tropical Storm Alberto made landfall in northeastern Mexico, unleashing heavy rains that killed four people.
Lowry noted that only five storms on record have formed in the tropical Atlantic east of the Caribbean. Of those storms, only one hurricane on record formed in the eastern Caribbean in June.
Mark Spence, a hostel manager in Barbados, said in a phone interview that he was calm about the approaching storm.
“It’s the season. You can get hit by a storm at any time,” he said. “I’m always prepared. I always have enough food in my house.”
Hurricane Beryl is expected to dump up to six inches of rain on Barbados and nearby islands, and a 13-foot wave warning has been issued. Tides are also expected to reach seven feet.
The storm is approaching the southeastern Caribbean just days after the twin island nation of Trinidad and Tobago reported major flooding in the capital, Port of Spain, as a result of an unrelated weather event.
Meanwhile, an unidentified storm earlier in June dumped more than 20 inches of rain on parts of South Florida, stranding many motorists on flooded streets and pushing water into some homes in areas Low.
According to the National Hurricane Center, the first hurricane of the season typically forms in early to mid-August, making Beryl unusual in reaching hurricane strength. a report In its report last month, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted an “above-average” hurricane season with 17 to 25 storms, 8 to 13 hurricanes, and 4 to 7 major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher.
A tropical storm is a tropical cyclone with maximum wind speeds of 39 to 73 miles per hour, while a hurricane And he knows As a tropical cyclone with maximum sustained winds of over 74 mph.
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