Beryl strengthened into a hurricane on Saturday as it moved toward the southeastern Caribbean Sea, and forecasters warned it was expected to become a dangerous major storm before reaching Barbados late Sunday or early Monday.
A major hurricane is considered a Category 3 or higher, with wind speeds of at least 111 mph (178 km/h). Currently, Beryl is a Category 1 hurricane, marking the most easterly hurricane ever to form in the tropical Atlantic in June, breaking the old record set in 1933, said Colorado State University hurricane researcher Philip Klotzbach.
A hurricane warning was issued for Barbados, a hurricane watch was issued for St. Lucia, Grenada, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and a tropical storm watch was issued for Martinique, Dominica, and Tobago. A hurricane watch has been issued for Barbados, St. Lucia, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and a tropical storm watch has been issued for Martinique, Dominica and Tobago.
“It is astonishing to predict a major (Category 3+) hurricane anywhere in the Atlantic in June, let alone deep in the tropics of the Far East. #Beryl organized quickly over the warmest waters ever recorded in late June, ” Posted by Florida hurricane expert Michael Lowry on X.
Sabu Best, director of the island’s weather bureau, said the beryl center was expected to pass about 26 miles (45 kilometers) south of Barbados.
Beryl was located about 720 miles (1,160 kilometers) east-southeast of Barbados on Saturday, with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph). It is moving westward at 22 mph (35 km/h).
“The hurricane is now expected to intensify rapidly,” the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.
Atmospheric science researcher Tomer Berg noted that Beryl was only a tropical depression on Friday with winds of 35 mph.
“This means that, according to preliminary data, Beryl met the criteria for rapid intensification before it became a hurricane,” he wrote on social media platform X.
Brian McNoldy, a researcher in tropical meteorology at the University of Miami, said warm water is fueling the beryl, with ocean heat content in the deep Atlantic reaching the highest levels ever recorded for this time of year.
Beryl was also the strongest June tropical storm ever recorded in the far east of the tropical Atlantic, according to Klotzbach.
“We need to be prepared,” Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley said in a public address on Friday night. “You and I both know that when these things happen, it’s best to prepare for the worst and hope for the best.”
She pointed out that thousands of people traveled to Barbados to watch the Twenty20 Cricket World Cup final, where India defeated South Africa in the capital Bridgetown on Saturday. It is considered to be the biggest event in cricket.
Some fans, like Shashank Musku, a 33-year-old doctor who lives in Pittsburgh, were eager to change flights and leave before the storm hit.
Masku has never been through a hurricane: “I don’t plan on going through one either.”
He and his wife, who support India, learned about Beryl through a taxi driver who mentioned the storm.
Meanwhile, St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said in a public address on Saturday that shelters would open on Sunday night and urged people to be prepared. He ordered officials to refuel government vehicles and asked grocery stores and gas stations to remain open ahead of the storm.
“If you limit the time, there will be such crowding,” he said, apologizing in advance for the government’s interruption of radio stations’ updates on the storm. “Cricket lovers have to live with the fact that we have to provide information… it’s life and death.”
Beryl is the second named storm expected in the Atlantic’s busy hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30. Tropical Storm Alberto made landfall in northeastern Mexico earlier this month, bringing heavy rain and killing four people.
Lowry noted that only five named storms have been recorded in the tropical Atlantic east of the Caribbean. Of these, only one record-setting hurricane formed in the eastern Caribbean in June.
Mark Spence, a hotel manager in Barbados, said in a phone interview that he was calm about the coming storm.
“Tis the season. Storms can happen at any time,” he said. “I’m always prepared. I always have enough food in the house.”
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts that the 2024 hurricane season may be well above average, with 17 to 25 named storms. As many as 13 hurricanes and four major hurricanes are expected.
The Atlantic hurricane season produces an average of 14 named storms, of which 7 are hurricanes and 3 are major hurricanes.
Beryl is expected to bring up to 6 inches (15 centimeters) of rain to Barbados and nearby islands, and a high surf warning with waves up to 13 feet (4 meters) is in effect. Storm surge is expected to reach 7 feet (2 meters).
Just days before the storm approached the southeastern Caribbean, the twin-island nation of Trinidad and Tobago reported severe flooding in the capital, Port of Spain, due to an unrelated weather event.
Meanwhile, an unnamed storm in early June dumped more than 20 inches (50 centimeters) of rain on parts of South Florida, stranding motorists on flooded streets and pushing water into Some houses in low-lying areas.
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