Beryl, a storm gathering strength in the Atlantic Ocean, has become the first named hurricane of the season. The storm poses a significant threat to several Caribbean islands as it intensifies.
Forecasters predict that Hurricane Beryl, which formed on Friday night, could develop into a Category 3 storm as it moves from the Caribbean into the Gulf of Mexico in the coming days. The storm is expected to reach the Caribbean islands of Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, and Martinique late on Sunday.
According to the National Hurricane Center, by the time Beryl reaches the Windward Islands, located west of Barbados, it will likely bring “hurricane-force” winds, “life-threatening” storm surge, and heavy rainfall.
Beryl follows Tropical Storm Alberto, the first named storm of the season, which made landfall in northeast Mexico on June 20, resulting in heavy rains that killed four people.
Barbados’ meteorological service has issued warnings of power outages and flash flooding, as the hurricane’s eye is projected to pass approximately 26 miles (45 km) south of the island. The storm is expected to bring up to six inches (15 cm) of rain to the Caribbean islands, including Barbados.
“The reality is that we are not in a position to know exactly what type of weather we are going to face, but we know we’re going to face some weather,” Barbados’ Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley stated on Friday. She is expected to provide another update on Saturday evening.
Forecasters predict a busy hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued its most alarming warning to date, forecasting up to 25 named storms in 2024. Of these, between eight and 13 could develop into hurricanes, and four to seven could strengthen into Category 3 or more severe hurricanes, which is more than double the usual number.
If Hurricane Beryl follows the predicted path and develops into a Category 3 storm, it would be one of the earliest major storms of the 2024 season, aligning with NOAA’s warnings.
“It’s astonishing to see a forecast for a major (Category 3+) hurricane in June anywhere in the Atlantic, let alone this far east in the deep tropics,” hurricane expert Michael Lowry noted on social media. “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.”
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